This is Suzy ... or as many of may know her by, 'Canvas for Littles' Suzy from YouTube! I met Suzy several years ago in Denver, Colorado. We were part of the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert program and attending a US MIE Expert forum a few days prior to ISTE 2016. We had both been active in our program's virtual communication channels, but found a quick friendship once we met face-to-face. Over the course of our virtual communication, and through our face-to-face meet-up, Suzy and I quickly realized that we were both proponents of student choice and personalized learning. I was beginning to think about creating a personalized learning gamified curriculum (gamification is also another love of Suzy's) and Suzy was a great help as I processed what that might look like. I invited Suzy to come present at the Lafayette Regional Edtech Conference a few years ago. She readily agreed and traveled to Indiana. It was at that first time Suzy and I had the opportunity to informally team up (as our sessions were at different times). While we knew we had always had a wonderfully camaraderie as friends, it was then that we found out just how well we vibed in a professional presentation. So, when Suzy asked if I would be interested in presenting together at ISTE 2020 I could not resist! We created a proposal for ISTE 2020, our proposal was accepted, and we planned! Enter COVID. We quickly realized that ISTE 2020 might not happen as planned, but I'm not sure anyone realized the extent to which life would change in 2020. ISTE 2020 changed to a fully virtual format, and to be quite honest, Suzy and I were at a loss. While we knew that we could utilize a virtual format to share our professional stories and thoughts, we were sad that we would not be physically 'together' for our presentation.
Long story short, our ISTE 2020 'Virtual' presentation happened and was AWESOME! We had great engagement and feedback from our attendees. BUT, I still felt let down. While I am deep in the edTech world and fully knowledgeable and capable of being completely remote/virtual, I would not choose it. I miss in-person connection. I thrive on it. I don't need it all the time, but I need it sometimes. Please, this can't be our forever new 'normal'.
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I attended ISTE 2019 and was once again blown away by the work that Microsoft is doing to refresh their products. They recently announced several new PowerPoint features that will blow your mind. Whether you are a student, educator, small business owner, or work in a corporate environment, these features are for you! New Trick #1: Present more inclusively with live captions & subtitles in PowerPoint PowerPoint now has captioning and real-time translation (in 60+ languages). These new features have rolled out globally across Desktop, Web & Mac Works on Chromebooks too. Oh, and did I mention the new features are FREE?! Make your presentations more inclusive!
New Trick #2: Nail your next presentation with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach Rehearsing presentations in front of a mirror or in your office is not the same as in front of an audience. Every person has a unique and individualized presentation style. PowerPoint now offers Presenter Coach, an AI tool used to provide individual feedback to polish your presentation. Gain confidence and improve your presentations!
New Trick #3: Unleash your hidden creativity with PowerPoint's Designer tool Rolling out now, PowerPoint for Windows, Mac, and on the web for Office 365 subscribers, Designer theme ideas automatically suggests slide designers for seamless, beautiful presentations. For some of us, coming with with a creative design for our presentation takes time we just don't have. But now, with PowerPoint's Designer tool, you can create a visually impactful presentation in mere minutes.
For the last few years, BreakOut EDU has been infiltrating our schools with critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration, all with an underlying current of academic content. School leaders and teachers have found many ways to fund the purchase of BreakOut EDU kits, such as grants and online crowd funding. While BreakOut EDU is awesome, I cannot help but recognize that there are also free digital alternatives. Why not Break In with OneNote ? I recently attended CUE 2018 and came across the session Using OneNote to Escape the Classroom. I quickly realized the presenter was exhibiting how students could Break In to a digital environment. In the traditional hands-on BreakOut, students use critical thinking and problem solving skills to unlock a series of physical locks to break out of the box. In this digital alternative, the presenter showed how the students unlock, break in, to each section within the OneNote digital notebook. To make a digital break in, the teacher creates a public OneNote Notebook. The link to the OneNote notebook is shared with the students. By sharing a public link, the teacher ensures that all students will be able to access the digital OneNote notebook. Within the notebook, the teacher creates a series of sections (tabs), one being the Welcome section. This section is utilized as the rules guide for the game, but also offers the first clue. There are a series of locked sections, which represent the “locks” of the break in. A new clue becomes available with each section the students unlock. The students must solve clues and unlock all sections to win the game.
When I think about using a new game in my classroom I ask myself a few questions:
I can’t wait to use this in my classroom! While the students do not need an Office 365 account to access the notebooks, teachers will need an Office 365 account to create the digital notebooks. ANY teacher can use OneNote digital notebooks as a tool for a digital break in. ALL teachers can sign-up for a FREE Office 365 account at onenote.com/classnotebook!
Close your eyes, and reminisce with me. It's August. Today is the first day of 9th grade. Breathe in, breathe out. What do you smell? Ah yes, freshly sharpened pencils.
Oh, you don't smell pencils? Well, maybe I'm alone in my love for a freshly sharpened Ticonderoga #2 pencils, but somehow I know a few of you know exactly what I mean. A new box of Ticonderoga #2 pencils signals the start of a brand new school year. Even though my role has changed from student to teacher/Digital Instructional Coach, I start every new school year energized and ready to take on every challenge that comes my way. The first day of school comes, and I take off running. Might I propose that working through each school year is like running a marathon… or a 5K for some of us? As I begin running the race, I do well, for a while, facing each challenge as it comes my way. Challenges can be extremely beneficial, especially when they propel us forward. Challenges bring out the best in me for the first few miles, as I jog through August and September. Usually though, I hit a wall around October or November. Instead of being energized, driven to excellence, I feel exhausted and cannot see the path ahead. This. Was. Me. …by mid-October. I was exhausted. Keeping up with the normal day-to-day activities of teaching/coaching and engaging with my PLN, Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts, all while working on my masters, just about did me in. I needed to find someone, or a group of people, that I could jog alongside. This year, my relief came in the form of an edtech conference. I have a great friend that once said that education conferences are a great opportunity to be re-energized by a group of like-minded individuals. Last month, I attended and presented at the annual NYSCATE (New York State Computers and Technology in Education) conference. Two distinct moments reminded me that I am not alone on an island and that I can find support in my MIE Expert PLN. First, I met up with a fellow MIE Expert to collaborate on two session presentations, one being The Power of Digital Inking in the 1:1 Classroom. She holds me steady when I feel tired and worn down. She reinvigorated my marathon pace. Our presentations and conversations reminded me of my focus, that as an educator, I will always strive to provide the best experiences for my students. We agree that what takes our students' digital device experiences to the next level is precise digital inking. In terms of using digital devices for education, we believe precise digital inking is pivotal to providing students the best digital device experience. Precise digital inking, such as with the #Surface Pen, allows the students to write on their Surface 3 device as if they were writing on paper. Can you draw a precise diagram of a heart, solve a multi-step Geometry problem, or map out Westward expansion on your device? If so, my bet is that you are using a digital device with precise inking. If not, I'd encourage you to a digital device to your repertoire that supports precise digital inking. My second distinct moment in which I felt revived came in the form of crashing a meeting. It was like the moment you round the bend to realize that you are running next to people just like you. There was a group of New York MIE Experts meeting up to talk about how best they could support and encourage the MIEs in their regions. While I didn't belong, since I live in Indiana and every other attendee lives in New York, I was accepted purely on the basis that I was also running the marathon under the group name, MIE Expert. I must remember that when I can reach out and connect with anyone who is also part of the MIE Expert PLN. They are my people. They get me. They get my love for #digitalink, my love for #OneNote, and my love for #MicrosoftEDU. I will not finish my marathon until May, but until then, I cannot forget to run with them. NYSCATE 2017 Presentations: The Power of Digital Inking in the 1:1 Classroom Flip Your Class without Internet Access |
AuthorDigital Instructional Coach/Math Teacher, #MIEExpert, Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Trainer, Surface Master Trainer, Microsoft Certified Educator, Trainer, #OneNote & #MicrosoftEDU FAN! Statements are my own. Archives
December 2020
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