Tag Archives: CMLE Scholarship

Conference, Guest Blogger

CMLE Scholarship: Picademy!

This is a guest post written by Angie Kalthoff, Technology Integrationist for the St. Cloud School District. Do you need a scholarship to attend a conference? Check out our Scholarships page!

The first day of Picademy was spent learning about the Pi, tinkering with program starters, and getting to know the people around us. We had time to work together on projects of interest and time to work alone.

I demystified stop lights by learning how to write a program using Python to create my very own stop light!

 

 

Day two of Picademy allowed us to gather in groups with a similar goal. My group had a goal of using a sensor, camera, and live streaming a video.

Our team project. Our goals were to write a program to trigger a camera situated by an office door, to turn on based on motion and live stream a video of who was at the door. We thought this would be helpful to see who is at the door even when we are not physically able to be there. We also thought it might prompt conversations with colleagues on how we created it thus allowing us to talk about computer science and computational thinking.

We learned that the sensor was very sensitive and that it was triggered to be on at all times. We then decided to create a button that people could push to turn the camera on. We were able to get our program to work to the point of getting the camera to work by touching a button but we were not able to live stream it in the amount of time we had.

Our group split into two focuses. We had people who worked on creating the structure to house the camera and a group who worked on creating the code. While I was drawn to wanting to create the structure (something that I have more have experience with), I pushed myself to work through the code (an area that I have just started tinkering in).

At the end of our allotted time, we were able to share our work with our peers in Picademy. We did a live demo of what we had accomplished so far, talked about our path to get where we were, and what we would like to do if we had more time.

Picademy was a great experience. While it was only two days, a quick two days, I had a lot of hands-on time to tinker with the Pi and think about how I could bring it into classrooms. My biggest take away is that when the project has a real connection to the creator, it is easier to push through the frustrations. I really wanted to create a spinning shoe rack on the first day of the Picademy. My real life need caused to me to work through my frustrations instead of giving up… but that is a whole other blog post.

 

Conference

CMLE Scholarship: ISTE Conference

From CMLE member Angie Kaltoff!

With the help of the CMLE professional development scholarship, I was able to attend ISTE 2018.

My two main goals of attending ISTE 18 were to connect with others (companies and educators) and find innovative ways to teach with the support of technology.

 

Connecting.

I was able to connect with a variety of people while attending ISTE 2018. As an ISTE attendee, I was able to present multiple sessions this year. On Sunday, I was a presenter in a hands on workshop that had a focus on bringing computer science into classrooms through plugged, unplugged, and lessons with robots. I was one of many presenters who led participants though a hands on station.

On Tuesday, I was one of five women who shared our experiences with encouraging girls to pursue their passions in STEM careers through a panel discussion. Our panel consisted of professional development leaders of the Innovative Educator Consulting Network. Naomi Harm, the CEO and founder, posed a few questions to the group of which we had time to prepare for and Mariah Richards, posed questions from learners in our room through a back channel.

On Wednesday, I co- presented a poster session with my friend and colleague on how we are working together to help students in the St.Cloud Area School District 742 and preservice teachers attending the CSBSJU transform their learning through the integration of technology into our classrooms.

Through these experiences, I was able to connect with educators and share my story while learning about their story too. All of my sessions have resources available by visiting bit.ly/iste18ak

 

Teaching with Technology.

I spent the majority of one day walking through the exhibitor hall. I was impressed with the amount of computer science tools that were on display at affordable prices through the integration of the Microbit.

I also took a walk through the startup pavilion. Unruly is a startup that I will follow as they have combined coding and movement.

 

Conference, Guest Blogger

CMLE Scholarship: ISTE Conference

This photo is from a poster session featuring CMLE member Jessica Moore.

This is a guest post written by Mary Waite, Media Specialist at ROCORI Middle/High School. Do you need a scholarship to attend a conference? Check out our Scholarships page!

Attending an ISTE international conference can be overwhelming.  There is so much to see, learn, and explore.  With more than 18,000 people in attendance and navigating a large convention center, it can be a challenge. However, getting the most out of the experience with the least amount of anxiety and stress is doable if you follow a few recommendations.

The first tip is to realize you will not be able to attend every session or see every vendor. There are just too many to realistically schedule into your days. Getting over FOMO will make the conference more enjoyable. Go ahead and mark your dream sessions using the app. But know that you will need to make changes, and if a session is not for you, don’t stay in it. Presenters are not going to shine a spotlight on people who need to leave. Walk down the hall, and you will find the right fit for you.

Another tip is to take advantage of the simulcast sessions and the poster sessions. You can get a lot of great information walking through the many poster sessions. If giant crowds for keynote addresses are not your thing, go to a simulcast area where you can still get the advantage of the outstanding speakers.

My third tip is to bring a conference buddy. If you don’t know someone attending, look at the discussion boards to find out who from your area is attending. Conquering the sizeable conference is easier if you can share and trade information with someone else.

Don’t forget to leave some time to relax and recuperate. Explore the city with fellow attendees, wander through the exposition hall, or just find a quiet corner to meditate.

Finally, I would say “just do it.” The 2019 conference is in Philadelphia. Start planning now, and you will not regret the journey.

Conference, Guest Blogger

TIES Report: Jenny McNew

This is a guest post from Jenny McNew, Media Specialist at Talahi Community School. Need a scholarship to attend a conference or participate in Professional Development? Apply today! 

I would like to thank CMLE for the scholarship to attend the TIES 2017 Conference: What’s Your Story! Both Keynote speakers Ken Shelton and Jennie Magiera delivered great keynotes on the how and why of sharing your voice.

In the past I have attended many TIES conferences and each year it gets better. As a Media Specialist in a working school library of very diverse learners this year’s title of “What’s your Story” really spoke to me. We have so many staff and students that really need the opportunity to share their voice. We need to believe that each person has an important voice, and we need to be a listening ear in order to create a community where everyone is welcome, seen, and heard. It really made me think of all the opportunities I can help provide so those I come in contact with have the knowledge and technology to share their all important voice while being mindful of the implications of sharing that voice on a digital platform. Ken Shelton referred to it as a digital tattoo which is so true.

What I love about TIES is it isn’t just about the newest and coolest technologies but it has embraced the application of those technologies in learning situations. I attended several sessions where again Leslie Fisher saved the day by showing me some cool new tools that will make my everyday job easier, or the presentation by Shelly Sanchez which gave me insight on putting together digital citizenship activities.  

This year I presented in the “coding playground” giving me the opportunity to share some of our story using Blue and Bee Bots, Lego robotics, and Edison robots. It was evident that even though I am not sure we are doing anything “exceptional” to someone else it is worthy and cool, once again proving that we all have a story to tell.

Thank you CMLE for providing the opportunity to attend this amazing conference. The ability to attend professional development is priceless!

Conference

TIES Report: Amy Moe

This is a guest post from Amy Moe, Instructional Technology Specialist at Pine Meadow Elementary School. Need a scholarship to attend a conference or participate in Professional Development? Apply today! 

I was able to attend the TIES conference with support from CMLE. This was beneficial for me in my first year as an instructional technology specialist.  The sessions available covered a wide variety of programs, implementation and tools. It was valuable to see that some are currently being used in my home district while giving the opportunity to explore new ideas as well.

“What’s My Story” was the theme of the conference.  Two keynote speakers focused on the power of sharing your vision and voice with the world.  Social media is one way this can happen.  I attended sessions on a variety of topics during the two-day conference including Makerspace, Google applications, library skills and apps to use with green screen (DoInk and Touchcast).  

I am most excited to share Touchcast with my staff.  This is an application that allows students to create a video “telling their story”.  Green screen capabilities can assist students in changing the setting of their story.  Other options can be included such as maps, lists, photos, polls and much, much more.  Teacher tech team members were excited to explore the capabilities of Touchcast and will help introduce to the entire staff in January.  I can already envision projects at each grade level happening-from facts about Minnesota to insect life cycles to book reviews.

It was also clear that collaboration with teachers in the areas of art, music, and physical education are possible.  I am excited to explore opportunities to integrate technology into these areas. The Winter Olympics is world-wide event that could provide just that.  I am also thinking of ways to collaborate with special activities for art appreciation, music in our schools month, and coding.