"Welcome to EdTechAfterDark! Our community was born out of discussions for a rich EdChat type gathering for those of us who are thinking about the digital edu-landscape long after the sun has gone down. For us night owls, when the clock strikes 10PM EST, you’ll find us on Twitter over at #edtechafterdark. All are welcome! Our discussions range from our philosophies about EdTech, digital best practices, and simply sharing our stories." --www.edtechafterdark.com
Welcome to #Edtechafterdark I'll be your host this evening as we talk about "educating all students" . Lets jump in by introducing yourself and sharing your favorite halloween costume
Jill from SC. I teach HS history. Favorite Halloween costume....hmmm...we didn't do Halloween as a kid but one time I did dress up as a ballerina #EdTechAfterDark
Happy Halloween! Helen here and since I was the youngest, my favorite Halloween costume was "ghost" but with new sheets, not one of my siblings old, yucky sheets! #edtechafterdark
Welcome to #Edtechafterdark I'll be your host this evening as we talk about "educating all students" . Lets jump in by introducing yourself and sharing your favorite halloween costume
Welcome! I’m caitlin, 2nd grade teacher (though I’ve taught all the way up to 12th!), and my favorite costume is this one I found in a Walmart as a college student. I loved it though I’m not sure it was the best fit. #edtechafterdark
Lisa from Minnesota. This reminded me of the costumes I wore in the 70's. Plastic masks that you couldn't breath in and they would get soaking wet from your breath. lol #edtechafterdark
A1: I often encourage our teachers to provide voice and choice in their classrooms. Allow students to facilitate and drive their learning! Authentic ownership leads to true mastery! #edtechafterdark
A1 We need to allow them to learn in the most effective environment possible in the most efficient manner. Personalized learning! We all need to get to the goal but in all different ways. #edtechafterdark
A1: make learning authentic to the Ss. The benefit of tech in my opinion is how we can differentiate with the click of a button. No need to make everything the same! @nearpod & @googledrive help do that! #EdTechAfterDark
A1: To be honest, I don’t know if we can. Restraints are so embedded into the system now that our job has become a dance around the restraints that already exist and avoiding creating any new/unnecessary ones... #PessimistAtWork#EdTechAfterDark
A1: Would be getting rid of standardize testing be a good answer? Allow more inquiry with authentic experiences and options in how to demonstrate what they have learned. #edtechafterdark
A1: Let’s be honest. We can talk about “voice and choice” but until we let our students out of the figurative box we see them in, we won’t be able to see the world they can create outside of it. #edtechafterdark
A1: I do think building trust and community in the room is vital...especially in high school. Restraints come up quick surrounded by judgement and cliques... #edtechafterdark
A1. That's what things like #geniushour and #makerspace are designed to do. Allow students to pursue learning about things in which they are interested. #edtechafterdark
Long time. no #edtechafterdark for me. 'Til now. I'm Brian. I teach MS students in Colorado. As English teacher, I wonder about differing connotations of restraint (i.e., holding back) vs. constraint (i.e., box that might have unexpected benefit of goosing creativity).
Absolutely true. And sometimes it is because of the box we're forced into as educators b/c of testing, expectations, curriculum mandates, etc. #edtechafterdark
A1: Choice and Voice...as often as possible...preferably daily. Students will do far more than we ask of them or imagine they would when we give them opportunity. #EdTechAfterDark
A1: Provide a safe space in class where all possibilities are received w/ enthusiasm. EX: A student says they want to be an astronaut/accountant/teacher/President... we respond w/ encouragement..And... Let students see us stretching our own possibilities. #edtechafterdark
A1b: As always, my PLN brings hope 😊👍 I suppose you all are right that genius hour and maker spaces are answers to this problem; I just long for a system where this type of learning is embedded and not an add on... #EdTechAfterDark
A2: our district uses @myONreader to allow every student access to thousands of books online via any device. Our town doesn’t have a library, so we bring the library into their home. #edtechafterdark
A2. Since I recently started at my school, I have been learning about things a bit at a time. It is a high performing school, and leadership has set in place amazing people who work with students who need it. I'm learning something new everyday! #edtechafterdark
A2: I’m so fortunate where I teach. We have chances to form authentic relationships w/Ss and build trust. (Trust = Learning) We also have many resources for both Sa & Ts as well as teacher resource specialist to support us all! @MaryAnnCarneva1@HughGreen8#EdTechAfterDark
A2: We are very fortunate in that we are able to provide a Chromebook for each student in our building. We are also working on getting students without internet access at home the opportunity to have that opportunity in order to extend the school day. #edtechafterdark
Don’t forget @ProdigyGame for all those math teachers out there! Students think it’s free time, but they have to solve problems to battle their opponents and YOU can assign standard-based problems for your class and receive real-time data in the process! #edtechafterdark
In reply to
@StevenSokohl, @MrEggertsClass, @nearpod, @googledrive, @Flipgrid, @GetKahoot, @canva, @quizlet, @ProdigyGame
A2: My district's motto is "Excellence in Teaching & Learning for All" the expectations are clear that every child deserves a qualified education. When we went 1:1, we did so to be sure every child had the same device in k-8 (tablets) and 9-12 (laptops). #edtechafterdark
A2: our school district has teamed up with @CenturyLink to offer those families on Free and Reduced Lunch WiFi access for $5 a month... now all of our students in our 1 to 1 district have connectivity! #EdTechAfterDark
A2 Well, we (and others) call this plan Multi-Tiered System of Supports. You know: MTSS. While it hasn't yet delivered on what it theoretically ensures, I've still got hope that coordination & collaboration can feed accommodation, differentiation, extension. #edtechafterdark
We have the option of 1:1 device opt-in or BYOD in our district. We’ve also partnered with local businesses to provide WiFi spots for families in our district that don’t have it at home. #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark A2 we use classroom profiles and student profiles as well as literacy and numeracy data to ensure student needs are met. Students need access points for learning at their level.
I love that in @myONreader I can assign a book to my students, require they take notes or add thoughts or highlight important text, and then I can look at each student’s digital copy to see what they’ve completed or if they struggled. #edtechafterdark
A3: Find ways to foster it and allow for it to shine. I've learned the fine arts classes are great at helping kids find their confidence and boost their self-esteem which trickles over into other areas of learning. #edtechafterdark
A3:At the middle school level, clubs are an easy way to have a diverse groups of opportunities for students to show their interests/skill sets. These are done through interest surveys by students each year! #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark a3 we need to learn and lead schools by example. Schools should and can reflect student interests. Read about what excites you model curiosity growth and learning, adapt, promote and celebrate diverse thinking and discovery. Recruit students expertise and share
A3. Talk to the kids. Get to know what they are interested in and/or what activities they are involved in outside of school. Then, work with them to figure out how to incorporate these things within the curriculum. #edtechafterdark#talktothebabies
A3: offer diverse clubs, assignments, etc. THEN offer student surveys (google form) to ask what else they want! THEN...I mean FIRST AND ALWAYS...pay attention when they talk “off topic”. Don’t always shut them down. Listen in and gain insight into who they are. #edtechafterdark
A3: Reach out to all members of the community... make connections to all the vast resources and people in the community. --Apprenticeships/Internships/Student Artwork on Display... and ... and... #edtechafterdark
A3: Julian Bond's quote about violence comes to mind, though hate seems applicable too: "Violence is Black children going to school for 12 years and receiving 6 years’ worth of education." #resiliencechat
A4: it varies by school. It’s our job to reach all learners! Choice when possible, relationships, and creating a safe space is key to having groups work! #EdTechAfterDark
A4: ooohh this is loaded... at one school I was the only ESL/SpEd certified teacher in my grade level, so admin thought they’d save on $ by grouping all ESL and SpEd labeled students into my classes. That way they only needed one inclusion teacher. #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark sometimes the medium is the message and students need to learn a particular type of communication style but many times choosing how you share a message is more important and develops skills in ways we don’t know will happen until it is done.
A4: There are so many factors that go into class scheduling. We do the best we can for our students so that they are primed for success each year. #edtechafterdark
A4: By classification (honors, GT, college-prep, advance placement, etc.) and being at a small school, not a whole lot of choice but teacher preference for course(s) taught. #edtechafterdark
A4. Previous experience: it was completely random, although teachers had some input and parents could make requests. This meant that one teacher in a grade level could end up with more behavior/learning issues than another. I saw it happen. #edtechafterdark
A4: at my current campus @LagosElementary I have an amazing principal who meets with each grade level at the end of the year to discuss individual students, what they’ll need next year, who they should/n’t be in class with, and we design the classes for next yr #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark A4 full disclosure I’m an admin in K-8. We only have one grouping per grade. Sometimes within classrooms we use abilities, interests, or random selection to group students. It depends on the purpose of the group.
A4 Speaking of constraints... I picture oodles of data input into master-schedule machine & groups/assignments eventually output. Compromises ensue. #edtechafterdark
That is true. I've assisted my admin with scheduling...CRAZY, especially for a small HS because you are limited in the # of courses and when they can be taught. #EdTechAfterDark
A5: best question yet. This is a top priority for @Berea_Middle. For example, we just completed a Hispanic Heritage Assembly in which our related arts department, Parent Involvement Coordinator, @GvlCoSheriff and others came together to show this importance. #edtechafterdark
A5: Let’s start by including the voice and perspective of other cultures, religions, genders, orientations within our literature, articles, text books, etc. #edtechafterdark
A5: I would love to bring in more diverse points of view into my history class. Examples from history of teenagers being "upstanders" to the events we cover, since it is often "old white men" in the history books. #EdTechAfterDark
#edtechafterdark a5 luckally Manitoba has grown to include more aboriginal perspectives as part of our movement towards reconciliation and movement away from the manifest destiny approach.
A5: I’m so glad for 5he @CRTNation Training we’ve received. It’s been a huge benefit to our campus and it’s helped teachers be more aware. #edtechafterdark
Darren from VA, instructional coach, podcaster and blogger.
A5: I think cultural relevance is a sliding scale, what should come first is knowing how to operate through a culturally responsive lens so you can meet students where they are. #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark Here is what I use to timetable https://t.co/5l4T5LrTVH it allows me to use patterns, book spaces and avoid conflicts. I like to keep ELA and Math in the first two blocks.
A6: success is moving forward from where you were the day before.
Success by school standards? “Meets or exceeds” standardized tests.
How to get them there? Ask high order questions and focus on literacy no matter what you teach. #edtechafterdark
A6: It's beyond earning a good grade on an assignment or assessment. It's being validated for the learning process. Knowing you can learn in a safe environment to ask questions, explore inquiry, students WANT to learn and have a desire to be a better person #EdTechAfterDark
A6. Test scores seem to be the number one indicator--at least for those in leadership who cannot always be in our schools. I do see Ts & admin at my school not only celebrate test scores, but also other things that our kids do to show that they are learning. #edtechafterdark
A6: I have to always remind myself that the students thought of success is different than mine. It is important that every student gets what they need to be successful. what one kid needs may be totally different from the next. #edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark - A6: Students working toward their own personal best, investigating new options, trying new experiences and setting goals in collboration w/Teachers & Family
Thanks @MrLeonard8 and the rest of the #edtechafterdark team for putting this chat together tonight. Thanks to all of you who shared your insights with us!
Unfortunately test scores are seen by the stakeholders as a means to evaluate what is taking place in the schools. Yet those only measure a small fraction of what the students truly know. #EdTechAfterDark
A6: success is moving forward from where you were the day before.
Success by school standards? “Meets or exceeds” standardized tests.
How to get them there? Ask high order questions and focus on literacy no matter what you teach. #edtechafterdark
