The power of Google in the classroom.

I have had the pleasure of learning how to use Google Apps for Education in my classroom and school.  Students have moved away from using word documents and are now going straight to their google drive and accessing a google doc. to write their reflections or responses when doing a project.  The journey of bringing google to the classroom has been exciting, it started off with a Google Ed Summit, then I have moved into taking the modules to become a Educational Google Certified Trainer.

This year students had the opportunity to create their own road map of learning by delving into their passion by involving themselves in a project called Genius Hour.  Using the power of Google Drive, students accessed either google presentations or documents and shared it with the teacher via their edu gmail accounts.  Students were able to show their understanding of their passion whether it be creating their own cookbook and documenting recipes that were successful to building toothbrush powered robots that had their own little battle ring.  Using their google drive accounts students were able to do a weekly reflection talking about what they have learned along with create a way of presenting it.  The great part about this project is that these weekly reflections were shared via our edu accounts, so no paper was wasted and we could comment directly on their google doc.  The ability to do formative assessment using our google drive accounts was something I never thought possible at the start of year.  To top it all off, we even had students help create a google form to help assess their final product of their work.

I feel using google drive to work on projects like Genius Hour is meeting the needs of our students in both their learning and assessment. Our edu accounts have opened the doors for so many learning opportunities, we just need to hold on for the ride.

[https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/DrgqmKzdSRFfx--KpNQC-qoq9pmyo-u4BDNKBLLET3Yi2kL0RZQEielBrnwhUP_PAuSSxjOmhomK0hpFhr4R6RKWJUsDr_HAMJRq4r-S4SppT54zBkpwAMVU3QGHDK8Uew]

Shane Spriggs, wanna be tech geek, outdoor enthusiast, family man, and loves a good cup of coffee.

This year, we explored the relationship that humans have with water and our relationship with the rivers that run through Calgary. We asked important questions about how water shapes us and how we shape water, an interconnected relationship that requires serious, thoughtful, consideration, and time to study the topic in depth. The more we learned about the rivers, the more compelling they became. We have become hermeneutic scholars around the rivers’ origin, landforms, myths, civilizations, celebrations, conflicts, disasters and their deep meaning to us and our personal identities as beings living in Calgary at this time in history. The rivers have become a part of us, just as we have become part of the rivers. Everything is the same issue.

A reflection from Zach captures a lasting impression:

Learning about the river changed my thinking about water. I find myself thinking hard about water in different and related ways. I am rethinking local and international water issues and how we treat them. I found that one question would lead to another and once  that question was answered, it led to another, fascinating question.

The lasting impressions from our explorations around water this year have made me respect our rivers a lot more than I did before. I try to waste as little as possible, leaving  a cleaner river and a cleaner earth. I also use less water, knowing that the freshwater supply is finite. Water is a part of us and we need to take care of it. We are the river.

Margeaux Montgomery is an educator who enjoys exploring, wondering, creating and laughing with her students daily.

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." – Baba Dioum

I can’t even remember where or when I had seen this quote, but ever since I did, I am reminded of it often, when with my students. Reminded of how taking the time to understand what it is that we are doing, why we are doing it and how it impacts others begins to explore that question of what is important.

Recently, our school had revitalized our courtyard and transformed the space into the ‘Seahawk Peace Garden’, a place where students can observe and study, care for plants and share their learning with others. Being in that space recently and watching the students engage with their surroundings, the care and attentiveness that they had when using the five senses to explore, was so inspiring.

Conversation surrounded the ways that we are connected to the earth and how we all need each other, how our community does not only include buildings and space, but all of the people and living things in it.

I am continuously in awe of the curiousity and wonderings of these children, who are so excited to learn more about the world around them. Their wonderings are what inspire what we do in the classroom and it amazes me the connections that they make between our world and their place in it. 

Jenelle de Jesus (@jayceedeejay) loves beautiful picture books, as well as exploring and learning alongside her own children and students – all while drinking an amazing cup of coffee.

If you build it, they will come, or more accurately in the case at Tom Baines School, if they build it, they will come. This year, some Grade 8 students have been exploring the world of programming, 3D design, and robotics through one of their complementary courses.

The year began with much excitement and hesitancy from the students, and me, as we investigated these domains. New equipment such as Mindstorms EV3s and a Robo3D printer forced us to constantly reflect, learn, and relearn as we worked together to plan, design, and create.

When the course started, I had no intention of running it as a flipped classroom, and although it never truly evolved into this, to my delight the students took their learning home and expanded upon it. They developed new skills and knowledge with help of online content, experts, and sometimes, parental support. More importantly though they shared this learning with their peers and me. I ended up becoming a student in my own class as my students taught me much more than I could them.

This, in turn, spread to other classes as the students took their learning there and applied their new skills to new situations showcasing their learning in those areas too. Encouraged by this, students not in my class were coming to me to use the equipment too.

However, the coolest part for me was when I had students I did not teach coming up to me asking me what I was planning for next year and how excited they were to take the class. More amazing learning will take place next year as I will be moving classrooms and setting up the Tom Baines Maker Space in the former Industrial Arts room.

Jeremy Lang (mrlang.ca and @JPLL8) is a new father, tinkerer, techno-geek wannabe, future Maker, and a self proclaimed introverted extrovert.

What did I learn today?

Recent inscription on a Starbucks card from my student teacher:

Sometimes when you are running a production studio, walking across Canada and planning an art gala, you just need a little pick me up!

When I look at the words from my student teacher it makes me smile. To someone outside of education it might be hard to imagine she was talking about a grade two classroom. This year I have the pleasure of working with a group of wonderfully creative and talented students who are passionate about learning. This year has reaffirmed for me that if you truly honour the passions and interests of students, the only limitation they cannot overcome is the lack of time available in 10 short months.

Within our school are very fortunate to have access to a variety of educational technology and two favourites in our classroom this year have been green screen technology and Google Apps for Education. Green screen technology allowed students to share their learning in such an exciting way by making a ‘TV show’ about Canadian animals at risk. They collaborated to create scripts that included news reports, dancing, and even a rock video. Google Apps offers opportunities to extend learning beyond the boundaries of the school day and physical building. I introduced Google Apps in January and within a short time they were creating projects at home, collaborating with friends online, and bringing this learning back into the classroom.

I am in awe of what they are able to accomplish and the development of their competencies up to this point. What amazes me even more is to imagine them graduating 10 years from now. What will they be capable after 10 more years in similar learning environments? The learning shared on CBE182 gives me such great hope that my amazing little grade two students will continue to be engaged and empowered throughout their formative years. I leave them with this quote:

Promise me you will always remember:
            You’re BRAVER than you believe,
            and STRONGER than you seem,
            and SMARTER than you think.
            ~Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Julie (@juliequennell) is passionate about student voice, inquiry and educational technology. M.Ed. grad from #ulethedtech with the best cohort ever. 

The Monterey Park School Kindergarten team has learned about the power of collaboration. This year alongside the children, we have set upon a journey of exploration and adventure, creating experiences full of curiosity, joy and discovery.

We began the year by coming together as a teaching team and anticipating the road ahead through thinking deeply about our curriculum and creating our learning destinations.  From there we observed and listened to the ideas and theories of the children to build inquiries that were authentic and meaningful.  We co-constructed criteria with the children for everything from classroom expectations to what makes a GREAT story.

In January, the team embarked on a professional learning journey that took us to Opal School in Portland, Oregon. The children and educators immediately welcomed us as equals and invited us to share our perspectives of their work.  We listened to the children’s ideas, questions and inquiries and observed how the teachers intentionally prepared the classroom environment each day.  Questions were visible everywhere, art materials were laid out thoughtfully, and the children’s work and thinking was documented and made visible to the school community and the world.  It was a powerful experience that inspired us to think differently about our practice and the power of collaboration.

This year we've learned that collaboration is more than working together, it's about sharing ideas, building relationships and grounding learning in the collective. When we come together, we inspire, draw strength, create, innovate, discover, invent and learn.

Julie Ramsay (@reggioinspired), Sierra Downing (@SierraLDowning) and Kristine Church (@KristineChurch) are members of the dynamic & collaborative Kindergarten team at Monterey Park School.

The end of the school year is always a time of reflection.  It gives us an opportunity to look back and say what went well, what didn’t and what do we need to work on.  This year is no different as May and June have been a flurry of activity with graduations, year-end celebrations, and partner events.  The common element though has been students, a reminder to all of us of what is really important. 

Education is the core of our work and our values are the fundamental beliefs in which guide our work at the Calgary Board of Education.  Putting students first, knowing that learning is our central purpose and that public education serves the common good, provides focus for each one of us regardless of our role.  Because the cool thing is, we all have a part to play in public education and we are all in this together. 

From the dedicated staff in facilities who ensure safe and caring schools, some of whom have been with CBE for over 35 years (WOW), to our kind lunch room supervisors and our caring education assistants who support our students, to our specialists in planning, transportation, Human Resources and Technology who without their support our massive organization may just grind to a halt.  All these folks work tirelessly to ultimately support the work of our teachers and here is what I know; teachers are a rare breed.  They are hardworking, selfless, caring, role models to our students who put in countless hours to ensure that our students are engaged and successful.

However all of this would not be possible without our partners, over 350 corporate and non-profits who provide programs, services, supports and financial aid because they also care about student success and  making this world a better place.

Everyone has a stake in Public education and the stakes are high, as we strive to meet the demands in an ever changing world.  Dealing with change, difficult decisions that result from change and often scrutiny can be stressful and demoralizing for those intimately involved in education who have devoted their lives work to making this world a little better.  But here is the thing, we are all human and sometimes we make mistakes and we need to learn from those mistakes so that we can be better for our students and that is why we need to reflect.

CBE 182 has given our staff, students, parents and stakeholders an opportunity to share the great work that is happening each and every day in our school.  We are able to hold our heads a little higher and to showcase to the world that at the Calgary Board of Education we are determined, resilient and committed to student success. 

To everyone who is involved at the Calgary Board of Education, Congratulations for a great year, Thank you to each and every one who contributes to our organization and hears to moving forward together.

Joy Bowen-Eyre ( @JoyBoweneyre and  Joybowen-eyre.ca ) is Trustee Wards 1 & 2 with the Calgary Board of Education.  She loves running and traveling and is the proud mum of 3 #yyCBE students.

I have learned that students have the ability to know and understand what kind of learners they are, as well as what they need in order to be successful learners. They can advocate for their learning and be part of the planning process that individualizes and specializes learning in the classroom for them as individuals. As a teacher, it’s important to take a step back and facilitate students in getting to know themselves as learners. I have tried this approach in my teaching this year and it has shown me that giving my students the opportunity to have a voice and an opinion in their learning has improved the overall learning process in our classroom. Including my students as part of the team that designs their learning helps to make the process of achieving individualized learning, as seamless as possible. Once I have delivered a lesson, each student knows what they require to accommodate their learning. They naturally use the tools or the spaces that work best for them and this helps them to stay focused and on task. As their accommodations need alterations/additions, they sometimes come to me and make suggestions that would work better for them. With the proper support, I believe this approach can work at any age level/grade. Observing my students and seeing their ability to adapt and create a successful learning experience for themselves has taught me that sometimes there is more to be learned from our students, regardless of their age or level, than we ever could have imagined.

Salimah Kassam is in her second year of teaching (elementary). This year she teaches grade 2. She is a Starbucks, BBQ & sunshine enthusiast.

This year in Keeler Kindergarten, we aimed to change the way that art is often represented in Kindergarten classrooms. Our goal was to move away from “cookie cutter” artwork, where each student ends up with the same end product by following a very prescribed set of steps, with little personal input, and to move toward an authentic process, where each child is encouraged to represent their own style, interests, voice, and ideas through their artwork.

We began by looking at the work of masters like Van Gogh, and appreciating how their techniques, styles, and interests differ. After exploring, discussing, and critiquing a piece of artwork and its various components, students were given opportunities to experiment with a variety of materials and techniques (i.e. texture, colour mixing, shape, collage, etc.).

Students were then interviewed about their creations:  what inspired them, what tools they used, the challenges they ran into and how they solved them, and the stories behind their artwork.  For example, upon asking one student where she got the idea for her collage she answered, “I dreamed about it, I dreamed I was flying on a rocket ship”.

We have found this to be an invaluable process in our classroom, as it has challenged students to think critically about process and product, what matters most to them, and to engage in conversations with their ‘audience’. This is an exciting move away from ‘cut and paste’ crafts, towards masterpieces that make statements and represent authentic learning!

Heather Miller and Vanessa Fraser (@KinderYYC) love to play, laugh, learn and wonder alongside their students every day.

Its amazing to see how a shift in focus, however big or small, can end up making a significant impact. This year I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the “Why?” of learning. We post the expected outcomes before the learning as a way for students to connect to content and have transparent measures of success.With the end in mind, we plan engaging lessons and tasks.

The small but important shift for me was moving from ‘Where might this outcome be used in the world?” to ‘Who would actually use these skills?” At first I didn’t really understand the difference. I had developed projects such as having student build electrical circuits that serve a purpose, doorbell, light switches etc, but is that really thinking like an electrician? What are the many skills an electrician needs beyond a simple circuit? How are circuits represented on a blueprint? How does an electrician read a blueprint? What other curricular areas such as math would be needed? Measurement? Cost? How is technology changing the trade? What language arts objectives would be relevant; safety, job applications, training manuals?

The more I began to ask myself which professionals use these outcomes, the easier it became to develop cross curricular projects. Connecting to experts and expanding on who is “an expert” also shifted meaning. Our grade 6 students became campaign managers, architects, engineers, advertisers and more. By taking on the ‘actual’ role, learning became meaningful and connected in new and expanding ways.

Kim Durnford, elementary teacher, Technology Learning Leader, hoping one day to get the hang of Twitter and looking forward to summer travel.