Innovation Newsletter Infographic

Below is picture of the Infographic Newsletter I created, which will be called the "Innovation Newsletter."  This is the first in what will be a monthly newsletter.  As the infographic shows, 1CoolThing is a multifaceted (or differentiated) approach.

The goal of the newsletter will be to highlight work that has been done by TOSAs the last month, showcase a new tool in more detail, and give staff shout outs for the work they are doing.  Some of this same information is available in other locations, like the YouTube Channel, but this may be a format that connects with some.  It's part of the differentiation.

The goal of this particular newsletter is to (re-)introduce the idea of "1CoolThing," highlight 1 tool that has been mentioned in previous emails called FlipGrid, and get teachers thinking about possibly joining Twitter.  In January we will begin a campaign to encourage teachers to share and connect via Twitter in order to grow their Personalized Learning Network.

Getting people to read emails is difficult, so hopefully an infographic with more visually appealing content will be more engaging.  The presentation view linked below is hyperlinked throughout, making it a richer, more "innovative," newsletter than your standard body of text.  You can also embed it or download it as a picture.

Click here to see the live view, with all the links.

Here's the full infographic:

1CoolThing: ThinSlides, Video Creation, and more

Below is an email I sent out two weeks ago to our staff on the idea of thin slides:


I don't know the best time to share 1CoolThing ideas, so I'm just going to mix it up.  Today it's coming on a Monday!

This 1CoolThing video is on a topic called Thin Slides and is a great way to get students creating something together.  

WATCH THIS QUICK VIDEO ON THE TOPIC:

I demonstrated the practice this morning in Seema Patel's class.  This is one of the things I can do as your TOSA.  Feel free to invite me into your class to help demo a technology or teaching practice.  

When I work with teachers, I like the 3 step practice of "I do it. We do it. You do it." so you're getting the support, but also learning to do it yourself. Depending on the teacher, we may start with me doing it, or jump straight to the teacher doing it it all with me just being there.  Nevertheless, I'm here to support you when you need it, in a way that works for you.

Check out the video and reach out if you have any questions or want more information.

Cheers,

Kristofer

PS: Want more?

1. Subscribe to 1CoolThing YouTube Channel to see more videos as they're added. I don't necessarily email everyone when a new video is published.
2. Follow #1CoolThing on Twitter where I share the great things I see teachers doing daily.
3. Do you have a cool thing you want to share? Please email me and have me come in. 

1CoolThing Coffee Session: Google Docs

As the full time TOSA for LGSUHSD, I'm trying to create a multifaceted, meaningful, relevant, and focused form of professional development.  There are significant constraints that I have to work within. The biggest of all is time. Teachers are VERY BUSY, and it is difficult to find time to do anything, let alone learn a new tool and implement it in a lesson.

1CoolThing is about showcasing bite size pieces of information, techniques, tools, etc. that are beneficial to them and their practice.  Because it's small or short in duration, it's more manageable and likely for them to entertain the idea, and maybe even give it a try.

The ultimate goal of 1CoolThing is to promote greater collaboration and innovation within our classes and help teachers grow and learn, just like we want our students to.

Today I tried something new.  I held a 35 minute session before school that I called "1CoolThing Coffee Session."  The focus was on Google Docs.  I picked some topics on Google Docs that were a mix of basic and advanced, and sent an email to all staff last week that I would be offering this session the following week.  I sent a Calendar invite to staff with a link that included the option to join as a Google Hangout. I included in it my 1CoolThing video on how to join a hangout this way.

This alone was an epiphany for some, as I was tied in on a colleague's email later that day that read:

"If you guys saw Kris Orre's 1CoolThing video today, it's exactly about what we're doing.  So let's try to practice and see how likely it is to use this feature in class for <  **** >, and instead of you guys coming down here, just log into the meet.... (This link is also in the calendar invite, just like Kris taught me today.)

Maybe you'll be on the road home to vote -- just pop your phone up on the car stand thing.  Let's see how this works!"

The morning of the session, I created the hangout and simultaneously recorded my session using a Swivl and my iPad.  I've now uploaded the video to my 1CoolThing YouTube Channel.  The full video is down at the bottom of this post.

Early morning #1coolthing coffee and mini lesson with @MrOrreBiology. Great attendance by Ts and Admins both live and remotely. #lgsuhsd @LGSUHSD #gofalconpower @SaratogaHigh #golgcats @LosGatosHigh pic.twitter.com/gsprEIpks3

— Julie Grenier (@hrhjulieg) November 7, 2018

@MrOrreBiology is running 1st #1CoolThing Coffee Session teaching Google Doc 101 + demoing Swivel recording equipment & Teachers are in room OR via Google Hangout. BOOM. @LGSUHSD #LGSUHSD @LosGatosHigh #golgcats @saratoga_high #gofalconpower pic.twitter.com/gabDaHvPF5

— Traci Bonde (@tr_bo) November 7, 2018

Below is the link to my document. It's nothing special. Just a Google Doc with the features I was talking about. I also hyperlinked to all the 1CoolThing videos I had already created.

http://bit.ly/2F66nj1

Overall, I'm happy with how this went. I had about half a dozen people show up in person, and 4 log in and listen via GHO.  There were lots of good questions and discussions, and I think everyone walked away with at least 1 cool thing that they could use.  I got an email later in the day that said:

"The Force Copy extension is cool!!!" 

That's basically what 1CoolThing is all about.

Next week I'll try it at all over again at Los Gatos.

Loving my job right now.

1CoolThing: Flipgrid and Canvas

Below is an email I sent our staff on October 10th. For most, this was the very first time they had heard of Flipgrid.  

I wanted to share a new digital tool that has been picking up a lot of interest by educators around the country, and the world, for that matter.  Our world languages departments have been looking into it and some (such as Sarah Voorhees) have already been piloting it in their class with very promising success.  It's called Flipgrid and the applications are endless.

In short, it's like a video discussion board, but presented in a way that kids enjoy.  It is similar to the social media they use daily.  Before you stop reading :) watch this 2 minute video that describes it in a nutshell.

It's become so popular and widespread, that Canvas has integrated with it.  On Monday I showed SHS World Languages how they can link the two services.  You can even use rubrics in Canvas to quickly assess the videos.  Here's a full breakdown of how to do it.

Here's how to link the two services: 

It's perfect for world languages for obvious reasons, but could be applied to any subject.  There are uses in math, social studies, science, and more.

As always with 1CoolThing videos or topics there's zero pressure to adopt, but I hope you'll at least entertain the idea. If it's something that interests you, reach out to me and I can answer questions, help set it up, or even demonstrate it in your class for you. I'm here to help.

Cheers!

Kristofer

PS: Want more?

1. Subscribe to 1CoolThing You Tube Channel to see more videos as they're added.
2. Follow #1CoolThing on Twitter where I share the great things I see teachers doing daily.
3. Follow what other educators are doing with Flipgrid on Twitter via #flipgridfever and #flipgrid

Since this email was sent out, I've already worked with several teachers on using Flipgrid with Canvas.  So far I find the integration to be a little clunky. Basically once a teacher links the two accounts, students can only access the "grid" by first going through Canvas.  They can't just pull out the phone, type in the code, and go.  That's awkward. 

There's also no way to subdivide topics into class section. Right now if a teacher teaches 3 periods, all 3 will be blended into one big one.  That's ok for some, but not for all.

For now I'm advising teachers to just stay within Flipgrid only until things get worked out.

I will say though, the ability to grade the video within Canvas is AWESOME.

I'm currently playing with Flipgrid with our "Google Masters."  I've had them share their goals for our cohort.  Additionally, I'm experimenting with Flipgrid as a way of getting teachers to share what they learn from PD days.  I'll do a blog post on this in the future....

Kicking the tires on the old blog

It's been a while. Nearly 2 years since my last post!

I think it's fair to say I don't naturally have an urge to journal or write, and I definitely don't have a lot of free time.  Balancing work and family life made it pretty difficult to keep the blog going, even if there were things I would have liked to share.

Some things have definitely changed in that time.  One of the biggest change would be that I'm no longer teaching. I've embarked on a new chapter of my career.  I am now the full time TOSA for my district.  My job title is "Instructional Coach," and for the next two years my responsibility will be to support teachers at Los Gatos and Saratoga High Schools.

Transitioning out of the classroom has been an interesting experience.  It's exciting because it's a new challenge, and I felt like it is a perfect match of my skill set and the need.  I get to help teachers grow as educators by both supporting them with things they want to work on and also showing them things they've never done or even considered.  When I went into teaching I did it because I felt like it was the one job that I could have the greatest impact on the world.  Educating our youth is an investment in our future.  Now when I help teachers, in a way I feel like I'm amplifying my affect.  It's pretty cool.

Yet, there's some weird sides to becoming a TOSA.  You have to pack up everything in your room, but not get rid of things because you're going to back to teaching.  And some people will tell you won't get your room back.  Some people think you won't come back at all.  I have no aspirations to go into administration, yet many think that's what I'll do.

After a couple months on the job, there have been a few events that have made me consider starting my blog back up again.

1.  I read Innovators Mindset by George Couros.  He talks about blogging a lot as a form of digital portfolio.  I'm totally sold on that as a teacher.  See previous posts on the subject.  He mentioned a great article from Wired Magazine that made me think that even my bad blog might be beneficial.

Read it here: Why Even The Worst Bloggers are Making us Smarter

2. I stumbled upon this article on Twitter: Blogging is the New Persuasive Essay.  The article made me think beyond why we should be having students blog (again, totally on board with it), but the format of it made me think about how I should be writing my own blog stylistically.

3.  I participated in a @TOSAChat on the topic of blogging.  A lot of the conversation got me thinking about how I could use a blog in my new role. It got me thinking about the title of my blog and the focus of it.  My education, and my role in education, is constantly evolving.  What started as a blog about an experiment I was trying in class, evolved into a blog about things I was doing in general. Now as a TOSA, I could use this as a platform to share resources with colleagues, and my PLN.

The one thing holding me back has been time. Remember: I HAVE NO TIME.  I didn't know how I was going to be able to find the time to blog, and I don't know how my district (and colleagues) would feel about me blogging on the job.

4.  Then the final thing tipped me over: my awesome TOSA partner Steph Rothstein sends Traci and me a vox on Friday saying she has started her blog.  Check it out here: https://tosatakeaways.blogspot.com/

The Next Step in the Evolution of my Blog

Her approach totally pushed me over the edge.  She said that she's basically going to copy and paste some of her emails that she sends to staff into her blog.  I listen to that and think: "Genius!"

So that's my plan, that hopefully won't take up extra time.  I'm just going to post many of the things I share with staff.  I've already started a YouTube Channel called 1CoolThing, so just created a page here based on my initial email I sent to staff outlining what it's all about. Check it out here or click it up at the top of this page.

Moving forward I will use this blog to archive topics I email staff about. I'll also use it as a place to embed my videos with a little more explanation on the topic.  I also plan to reflect on my role as a TOSA. I hope both educators and TOSAs can get some benefit from this blog.

Image by author.

Picture at top of the page: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Time-Allocation.png