Clone Yourself to Multiply Your Influence

Have you ever wished you could be in 2 places at the same time? How great would it be to clone yourself? Luckily, with the technology we have today, we are able to (somewhat) clone ourselves.

I am an Apple Foundations Trainer for our district, and I have been "meaning to" create how-to videos for our students and staff using the "new" iMovie 10.0 application for MacBook and iMovie for iOS 8. Unfortunately, how-to videos typically get lowered on the To-Do list! Luckily, I had a few teachers, an iCoach (thanks +Ramona Towner), and a conference to push me to get these videos done.

I observed 4th and 5th grade students at Emerson School creating an iMovie, but most of the students were lacking in the technology skills to create a movie with video clips, voiceover, copyright free images, background images, and other special effects like picture in picture and cutaway. I told the teacher I could update my student and teacher friendly how-to videos on my YouTube Channel and in my iTunes Course to assist his class. I had a hard time getting started, until iCoach +Ramona Towner kept reminding me the teacher was waiting! While it took me several hours over winter break and beyond to create the videos, I was able to help teach these 4th grade students how to use the updated applications without physically having to be present!

A week after I finished the MacBook videos I needed a push to work on the iOS screencasts... We received a district email about a colleague who's husband passed away.  I reached out to her to send my condolences, prayers, and strength to help her through this difficult time. I ended my email telling her to reach out to me if she needed anything. Within a few hours, she replied, "Yes! I'm working on CBL projects with my students and while I'm out the next few days I want instruction to continue while I'm not there." She continued by saying the end product for the CBL projects was to create a movie and her students' technology skills were all over the place. .... "Can you come teach my classes how to use the updated iMovie Applications?" she pleaded. "They need some teacher directed instruction." (What a dedicated teacher!)

Of course, I jumped right in to help. Unfortunately I could not physically be at each class, so I worked with the sub to do what we could. I arrived at 4th period ready with my YouTube Playlist and hoping the middle school students wouldn't scare me away! ; )  I taught the class the first few steps starting with curating free to use/share photos & organizing them in iPhoto. During this time, I had the sub listen closely so she could repeat the lesson with the next class while also using the videos. I survived Day 1, but needed to start preparing for Day 2. The 8th grade students at Freedom Middle School have 1/2 iPads and 1/2 MacBooks, I needed to finish my iOS 8 screencasts! I stayed up real late to get the next playlist done, so it was ready for class the next day.

Overall I was able to physically teach 3 out of 6 classes how to share what they've learned using iMovie to tell their story. All the students were able to work at their own pace watching the playlists, and several of them finished their movies at home. It's inspiring to know that 6+ hours of work can stretch beyond what you could ever imagine.

On January 17th, I was scheduled to present Up the SAMR Ladder with iMovie Storytelling at SAMRi Camp in Downers Grove, IL. During an hour breakout session, you can only teach so much. Luckily, my iMovie Screencasts for Mac and iOS were complete! I was able to teach what we had time for, and direct the group to the videos so they could go back and watch them later.

It's amazing what a Mac, an iPad, QuickTime, iMovie, and YouTube can do... I created 19 screencasts in 2 weeks. These applications helped me reach a classroom of 4th grade students, 6 middle school classrooms, a group of teachers, and whoever else happen to stumble upon them. One month later these videos have 1,052 YouTube views! Further, they were all posted in my iTeach Above the Line iTunes U course, so my 1,591 subscribers were able to access the videos too!

The next time you're trying to be in 2 places at once, think about creating some screencasts to CLONE yourself and share them out with your broader EdTech Community!

Redefinition and Motivating Teachers

Who thinks of going on a bike ride in the middle of December, 2 days before Christmas? BikeWitMike is the answer! PE teacher from +Freedom Middle School decided he wanted to create Virtual Reality bike ride experiences that will influence his students and his community. His first video was published in October which recorded students and staff riding throughout Berwyn using a Go Pro Camera and some iMovie making skills. His students watch the Virtual Reality experience during PE class on stationary bikes, working out to the intensity of this interval training video. (Check out the boys' and girls' responses after their workout.) Mike started a Twitter handle to share his experiences and to encourage his movement. (Read More)

This examples falls on the Redefinition level of the SAMR model because Mike used the technology to allow for "new tasks previously inconceivable." Simply recording the bike ride with a Go Pro and making it into an iMovie falls at Modification. Taking it a step further and posting his video on YouTube and sharing it out via Twitter to collaborate with a broader community is where this movie allows for new tasks. Nike, Tips for Hero's, Donors Choose, Map My Ride and many more have caught eye and are connecting with Mike by favoriting and retweeting what he is sharing on social media.

After the video, Mike wanted more, he immediately started planning follow up bike rides and started to brainstorm how he can spread his influence further. Mike created a Donors Choose project to get 3 bikes for students in our low income school district. He wants more students to join him on bike rides and he plans to have students create videos saying WHY they should receive the bike and WHAT they will do with it to affect the community. His goal is to have his Twitter followers vote on the best video.
"This project will help students to become more active and live a healthy lifestyle. It will also help bring the community, students, and school closer together." 
When Mike and I were collaborating last week about our next ride, he said how about we reach out to the Morton Arboretum and the Brookfield Zoo to ride next? We can use the video footage for workouts AND to teach students about these local beautiful trails. The Arboretum said, come on out to ride! Mike didn't want to wait until spring, when the weather turned warmer. He is ready to continue his #bikewitmike movement and create his next interval video. So off we went... Instructional Coach +Ramona Towner picked me up at 6:50 in the morning to meet Mike at the Morton Arboretum. Mike was ready with his Map My Ride App and Go Pro Camera. We biked 2 trails on each side of the Arboretum, 9 miles all together. I really enjoy bike riding, but I came out this December morning because Mike has inspired me. I know he will work on editing an hour's worth of footage during his time off this Winter Break. I know his second video will be influencing students and teachers throughout Berwyn and WAY beyond. Oh, and I also ride for the exercise!

All these tasks (YouTube, Twitter, Donors Choose, 2nd bike ride, etc) were previously inconceivable without the technology. One Go Pro Camera & a MacBook Air has completely motivated this teacher, to change the world, one bike ride at a time. Follow #BikeWitMike on Twitter, consider donating to his Donors Choose project, or better yet get inspired and join us on his next ride!

#bikewitbike Part 2!

Congratulations to @BikewitMike who has completed his Virtual Reality training video!




A recent story I am exceptionally proud about is a continuation of my #bikewitmike #berwyn #apple blog post. You can now follow @BitWitMike on Twitter and check out his completed "D100 Virtual Reality Bicycle Interval Training Video." Here are a few quotes explaining why Mr. Belcaster spent hours on his training video. “Through this I wanted to gain community, togetherness, and involvement." “Overall I created this Virtual Reality Interval training video for the students… I want students to know that I care about their needs and wants, and also how interested I am their city.”

Look out for future posts about #bikewitmike and his above the line, inspiring movement!

EdCamp, Apple, Brenthaven, Oh My!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where there are SO many exciting things to blog about, yet before you can even start to blog something else amazing happens that you want to blog about? ... And then it happens again... all in the same week?

Tuesday, November 4: iLearn EdCamp Institute Day

The heading says it all, right? South Berwyn School District 100 has come so far over the past 5 years. We're transforming the way we teach and the way we learn, and I believe Professional Development has almost everything to do with the change. (Thank you +Marilyn McManus/@D100PD Director of Professional Development and your PD team.)

Marilyn meets with a ruthless team (we all have our own ideas!) to plan & coordinate our Institute Days. We literally sit around the new learning space at Pershing and brainstorm ideas. We focus on what our teachers' needs are and then how we can meet those needs. "What if we hosted our own version of an "EdCamp?" Teachers can choose their own pathways of what they want to learn about on that day. This is exactly what we did, with some slight modifications. +Jonathan Palles is our EdCamp expert in D100, so we had him introduce the day and explain to staff what an EdCamp was and what was expected of them. Check out #ilearnbsd100 for tweets about the day and our Professional Development webpage for more info.

Wednesday, November 5: Innovative Classrooms: An exclusive event for Apple Distinguished Schools and Apple Distinguished Programs 

Apple hosted an event downtown Chicago for Apple Distinguished Schools and Programs to connect, collaborate, and learn from one another. We had the absolute privilege of listening to Dr. William Rankin, probably one of the smartest educators I have heard speak.

@rankinw & @ShannonSoger

Have you ever heard the phrase, "What happened to the traditional way of teaching? I turned out just fine and I didn't have a laptop or iPad in school." Well, Dr. Rankin says if we want to go back to "traditional times," then we'd actually have no books (as he showed an image during the medieval times). He shared that everyday kids are carrying around production studios (ie iPhones) in their pockets. However, we are teaching kids content they need to memorize or comprehend for the "test". It takes 10 years of constant repetition in order to remember something forever. These facts students are memorizing are most likely being forgotten  So, why are we teaching facts that kids can just Google? He talked about using devices at higher levels. These included experiences where students will remember what they learned because the lessons had value to them and because students had to create something. Dr. Rankin sparked our minds and encouraged educators to transform the future of learning.

D100 ALT, iCoaches, & Admins

The remainder of the day consisted of breakout sessions and small group content creation. I led a session on The Impact of SAMR in an Apple Distinguished Program with ALT teacher +Kristin Richey. (Prior to the event +Jordan Garrett +Mary Havis +Michelle Thorne, +Christina Betz, +Sarah Larson, +Todd Bittorf +Ramona Towner +Sue Butler and +Lindsey Lahr created the Keynote together in iCloud.) 
Apple connected everyone along with resources from the day by sharing a private iTunes U Course. At the end of my session I challenged attendees to get our group of Distinguished Schools and Programs to continue to collaborate, but at the Redefinition level by walking the objective up a Blender Ladder. We concluded with continuing the collaboration with a broader audience to connect, share and reflect on... Twitter!

Wednesday, November 5: Brenthaven Education Webinars: Above the Line Teaching and Learning 

Being a presenter for a webinar is not an easy task! I'm constantly talking in front of groups of people, I enjoy presenting, and I get nervous each time I present. BUT, speaking to a laptop and not seeing your audience was quite the challenge! During the Webinar I talk about the transformation of teaching and learning that I've seen throughout District 100. Examples are shared from each category of the Apple Education Recognition Program: Visionary Leadership, Innovative Learning and Teaching, Flexible Learning Environment, Compelling Evidence of Success, and Ongoing Professional Learning. The overall message is that 1:1 is a journey and SAMR is a journey, but it's important to constantly be pushing students, staff, and administrators above the line.  If you're interested in hearing specific examples, please watch the Webinar hosted by Brenthaven.

We actually ran out of time at the end of the webinar for questions, so Brenthaven send me the list of the questions. Rather then emailing the answers back I recorded myself in GarageBand answering the questions and Brenthaven sent them to all registered attendees.  #abovetheline

It's exciting to think about my broad range of influence from our District 100 staff, to educational leaders from Apple Distinguished Schools and Programs across Chicagoland, to educators on the webinar from 15 states that I will likely never meet.