Post 7, November 29, 2018
Post 6, November 21, 2018
This week was parent/teacher conferences and I had a lot of downtime. I was able to reach out to the curriculum department and the superintendent to discuss showcasing this great group. Word has spread quickly about the great work students have been doing with this club. The curriculum department hosts a technology SIP day in February where select staff present great resources for teachers to learn about. The curriculum department wants me to present on this new group of Tech Ninjas I formed this year. Working on making this group what I envisioned has been challenging, but this genius hour has helped me focus on find time to make it a priority. I contacted the curriculum department to ask if I could have the tech ninjas be a part of this day. The director are so excited about this, my students will do what they do with their peers, but now with the whole district staff.
They will be managing the distribution of chromebooks, setting up a tech help desk and student view testing station for anything staff want to test out, and even presenting demo slams! I can’t wait to share this with students, they will be so excited. I feel that my hard work for creating a club of students who take initiative and run themselves is being seen by the entire district as a great addition to our mission. I will be presenting to the board of education in January and all the work I’ve done on this blog will provide the basis of my presentation and I plan on having students share out their participation.
This week I am able to feel more comfortable that this group is making a difference. Teachers and principals are talking about it and other schools are asking about what this all entails. I reach out to more staff for their thoughts and ask for what they need to help design our meeting agendas.
Post 5, November 15, 2018
As I work through planning a better student led technology group, I notice that I want to learn more each time. I have added podcasts to my genius time to get more ideas. This usually adds to my ideas/to do list, but I feel like reading from others and literally hearing others discuss using technology with students I feel that this time I’ve put into this group is worth every second.
I get frustrated easily with what I cannot control. I still have some tech ninjas that just don’t have a motivation to go out and help or created great project from our mini lessons. I don’t want to kick kids out of the group, 1, because it’s new and 2, I want them to find success and share it so others feel this group is top notch and shows the ninjas as role models.
I felt most successful with my learning when I was able to count on a group of students to do a task and problem solve on their own when the situation arose. This week I feel that my time is more structured with the addition of my podcast (Google Teacher Tribe).
Post 4, November 8, 2018
My students motivate me to keep learning. I meet with my students once a week at lunchtime and every other week after school. During lunch they give me ideas of things they want to learn and I spend time researching and if I need to, I learn them myself. Their passion from learning and trying new tasks is truly motivating. When students come to me with ideas I see their excitement and it makes me eager to share in their journey. This past week I am able to manage their ideas better by creating a google form on their website to submit ideas and any resources that go with it. This has been great to communicate outside of our meeting times. This week I also found a facebook group to chat with about student led tech groups and found several teachers around the country that are happy to share their similar experiences.
Post 3, November 1, 2018
I was happy to participate in this process. So often we make plans to complete a project that we never beginning or start, but never finish. Being ‘forced’ as a class assignment to make time made this project become part of my daily routine. With this course coming to an end, I have instilled in my day this time to work on my project. My tech ninjas went from being something I’ll figure out to a priority and I can see the difference. I’ve done clubs before with students who come and go and seem to have fun, but my tech ninjas are eager to come to meetings and are often disappointed when time is up or a meeting has to get changed. Making the time is hard, but going through this process proves that when we give time to our passions we can accomplish so much more than when we just say we’ll get to it.
Rather than post a picture or video, I have included a link to our tech ninja site:
Post 6, November 21, 2018
This week was parent/teacher conferences and I had a lot of downtime. I was able to reach out to the curriculum department and the superintendent to discuss showcasing this great group. Word has spread quickly about the great work students have been doing with this club. The curriculum department hosts a technology SIP day in February where select staff present great resources for teachers to learn about. The curriculum department wants me to present on this new group of Tech Ninjas I formed this year. Working on making this group what I envisioned has been challenging, but this genius hour has helped me focus on find time to make it a priority. I contacted the curriculum department to ask if I could have the tech ninjas be a part of this day. The director are so excited about this, my students will do what they do with their peers, but now with the whole district staff.
They will be managing the distribution of chromebooks, setting up a tech help desk and student view testing station for anything staff want to test out, and even presenting demo slams! I can’t wait to share this with students, they will be so excited. I feel that my hard work for creating a club of students who take initiative and run themselves is being seen by the entire district as a great addition to our mission. I will be presenting to the board of education in January and all the work I’ve done on this blog will provide the basis of my presentation and I plan on having students share out their participation.
This week I am able to feel more comfortable that this group is making a difference. Teachers and principals are talking about it and other schools are asking about what this all entails. I reach out to more staff for their thoughts and ask for what they need to help design our meeting agendas.
Post 5, November 15, 2018
As I work through planning a better student led technology group, I notice that I want to learn more each time. I have added podcasts to my genius time to get more ideas. This usually adds to my ideas/to do list, but I feel like reading from others and literally hearing others discuss using technology with students I feel that this time I’ve put into this group is worth every second.
I get frustrated easily with what I cannot control. I still have some tech ninjas that just don’t have a motivation to go out and help or created great project from our mini lessons. I don’t want to kick kids out of the group, 1, because it’s new and 2, I want them to find success and share it so others feel this group is top notch and shows the ninjas as role models.
I felt most successful with my learning when I was able to count on a group of students to do a task and problem solve on their own when the situation arose. This week I feel that my time is more structured with the addition of my podcast (Google Teacher Tribe).
Post 4, November 8, 2018
My students motivate me to keep learning. I meet with my students once a week at lunchtime and every other week after school. During lunch they give me ideas of things they want to learn and I spend time researching and if I need to, I learn them myself. Their passion from learning and trying new tasks is truly motivating. When students come to me with ideas I see their excitement and it makes me eager to share in their journey. This past week I am able to manage their ideas better by creating a google form on their website to submit ideas and any resources that go with it. This has been great to communicate outside of our meeting times. This week I also found a facebook group to chat with about student led tech groups and found several teachers around the country that are happy to share their similar experiences.
Here is my elevator pitch for my Genius Hour Project!
This week I learned along my Tech Ninjas how to make animated GIFs in google drawings. It was awesome and easy! Students are super excited to teach their peers at lunch time! Chromebook organization is starting to get a little lax and I'm now starting to brainstorm how to use tech ninjas to help with that debacle! This week I feel better about the lunch use of my tech ninjas and they fill more useful than before!
Post 2, October 25, 2018
This past week there have been some big changes with the role of the tech ninjas. Students have become increasingly sneaky about their gaming habits on chromebooks, particularly during lunch. We have separate tables for students to go to and use their chromebooks, but no one monitored them. I brought up the idea to my principal that the tech ninjas could take turns being the tech table monitors. During our weekly meeting, the tech ninjas suggested that they also offer mini tech lessons at the tables. This idea from the students now has me planning as though this is another prep. I now put aside time directly after school to find fun interactive ways to use GSuite that the students could teach their peers. As the 1:1 coordinator for myself I go and pick up chromebooks of students who left early and put them back in the carts they belong. Now I grab the chromebooks, head back to my room, and brainstorm some of those mini lessons. As a result of this added time, the tech ninjas are more on my mind and even I created a note in my phone where I write ideas as I think of them.
Below is the tech table lunch pass that we made for student use. This week I can organize my ideas better with my newly created notes on my phone. I also feel that the tech ninjas have a more focused task than before.
Post 1, October 18, 2018
I love the idea of genius hour. I have been contemplating adding it to my curriculum since last year. I think the fear of having a sense of control during this time in a classroom setting has made me hesitant. I am so glad to be a part of genius hour now to give me the chance to work on my own passions. I’m hoping that this activity will help me become comfortable enough to add it to my own classroom. To begin, I thought of 3 passions I have within my district. This year I created a student led tech department called ‘Tech Ninjas’. I did a little research prior to the start of the year, but just enough to get us up and running. Students are so excited about this group so I really want to give them the best experience and I need to put in the time to research and create a great program that students are eager to be a part of. I am also very passionate about gaming in my personal life. I see my students now talking about Fortnite and the gaming aspects. They are obsessed with this and I need to take my knowledge and love of gaming and their love of it and better understand gamification in the classroom. I do mini games and challenges from time to time, but I would love to have a fully gamified classroom. The last passion I have and would love to bring to my work life is blogging. I follow so many blogs and use so much of the information. I would love to develop a story/skill worth sharing with people even if it’s just my co-workers. I’m hoping that by developing a great tech ninja program I can blog and have students blogging our experience as well.
I have decided to focus on my passion for a student led tech group, my tech ninjas. I will rely heavily on the expertise of other educators who have a similar program. I will read blogs and build my PLN to reach out to those individuals. I will need the help of my students to discuss their wants and needs within the program and the the help of my colleagues as well. I need plenty of time and support to make this program successful. My biggest fear is that it will be more of a club where I guide students when I’m really looking to move students toward self-motivation and making the program their own. I also fear that it’s difficult for me to give these students the time they need to accomplish the goals they set out. I am limited in meeting after school, but am able to offer some of my lunch periods throughout the weak. I also don’t want to become burnt out over this project.
This week I can reach my students better than I could last week after setting up Remind. I also started branding our group so they feel more like they work somewhere rather than just being a club.
Tech Ninja club sounds like an amazing club. Students will love it. Is the focus of your club gaming? Or are you going to provide opportunities for other tech activities like coding? I am going to start a similar club at my school. The focus of the club will be coding for the moment. This, at least will bring together students with a similar interest. I am hoping to expand it to include other activities such as troubleshooting and app development. Good luck with your new endeavor!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the control piece. I thought this week's readings and video were helpful when talking about Genius Hour and the thought process behind it and why it is great.
ReplyDeleteYour tech ninjas sound fabulous. Maybe if it is more guided at first then slowly releasing the openness to students it won't be quite as overwhelming. Sounds like a neat project.
This is Debbie Samlan
DeleteThis is such a fun idea! I agree that letting go of your own control can be a bit unnerving. However, I have found that when I've done projects in class that allow for student choice, the students behavior is generally outstanding! When they are taking ownership of their work in something they are interested in, they are much more focused. I like the gaming aspect, and adding in a blog. I hope your students enjoy the project!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea, Brooke! I am excited to see your project unfold and it sounds like you have done a good bit already with getting the branding going. I love the group logo, too! Thank you for your post! Lea
ReplyDeleteI love your elevator pitch, it really helps me better understand how you got your project rolling. I think a program like this would be great in my school as well. I love the idea of google training for the students as well. What age group are your ninjas?
ReplyDeleteDebbie Samlan
This is junior high, it's a lot easier to find information for high school for student tech groups. In fact a lot of what exists are actual classes.
DeleteStudents are motivating to me as well. They ask many questions about Physics. They have a lot of ideas. They see things in different ways. I enjoy the discussions that we have. They are eager to learn and that inspires me as well. - Thanks, Chad
ReplyDelete"When students come to me with ideas I see their excitement and it makes me eager to share in their journey." I am sue their excitement is completely contagious! That's fantastic, Brooke!
ReplyDelete"This past week I am able to manage their ideas better by creating a google form on their website to submit ideas and any resources that go with it." OH, great idea!!! I hope this is helping.
I am enjoying seeing your passion project with your students unfold. It's such a cool idea.
Thanks for sharing here, Brooke! Lea
Tech ninjas sounds so much fun! I really like that you are able to incorporate all of the skills from this class and bring it to your faculty. I hope that they find it just as beneficial! It sounds like you have a lot of positive energy going into this project and I am sure that is reflected onto your colleagues and students. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteWow, Brooke...it's amazing what you have done with your Tech Ninjas in such a short period of time! And the recognition and further opportunities is a clear indicator what you are doing what you need to be doing. The universe opens doors for us that would otherwise be closed when we are in alignment with our passions. Bravo to you...it is so exciting to see this unfold for you.
ReplyDeleteWow what an amazing opportunity to showcase the great things your students are doing. It means that you are having an impact on your students learning and people are recognizing that, it is always an amazing honor to present in front of your colleagues.
ReplyDelete"Making the time is hard, but going through this process proves that when we give time to our passions we can accomplish so much more than when we just say we’ll get to it." I agree 100%!
ReplyDeleteBrooke...I am so amazed at what you have done with your passion project. Your Tech Ninjas grew into something pretty awesome in a relatively short period of time!
I am proud of you for doing what it take to commit to your passion project and see it through to the end. Now keep it going beyond the course and see what other incredible things you can do! Cheers, Lea
Brooke…your passion project was wonderful and I am glad you got so much out of it in this course! Your Tech Ninjas have a come a long way in a very short period of time.
ReplyDeleteKeep it going beyond the course, and even create new passion projects...and see what other incredible things you can do!
Cheers, Lea