There are several powerful technological tools that can document visible thinking and learning for our students. Screencasting, voice recording, blogging, and video are at the forefront of the movement for student content creation and undoubtedly hold a lot of clout in helping teachers to assess for next steps in instruction.

When creating screencasts, my students' thought processes have become more complex as they speak their thinking about learning processes aloud. They take time to consider their words carefully in order to create authentic recordings of their learning. However, as my students work on these mediums, I'm not convinced that students' simple documentation of their thinking is enough. Sure, it tells something to me as the teacher, but does it reach full potentials for the student? 

This brings me to the most incredible choice I've made in my classroom so far this year: pushing for a consistent blend student self-assessment, constructive criticism toward and from their peers, and materials that inform my future teaching.

When screencasting, there is nothing more powerful than students listening to the playback of their own thinking. This process of re-reading, reflecting, and re-vamping is necessary in so many other facets of our classrooms, though. The challenge for educators lies in teaching students how to take fair and meaningful reflections and assessments of their own work. Though this is a little bit meta  (learning how to assess your own learning ), it is amazingly powerful when students learn what they need to improve about themselves and their work, and when they choose to do so independently.

Explicit instruction and one-on-one interviews are absolutely necessary in the beginning of this teaching. It helps to set your expectations for each student's self-assessments as well as finding out about theirs. The end result helps them to shape their evaluations of themselves and base this thinking on a growth mindset: "What could I do better?" and "How can I do it better?" 

After seeing the power of this in areas such as reading and math, I have begun integrating multiple student self-assessments into every subject area both with and without technology. My conclusion thus far is that student engagement is not improved simply by use of technologies, but rather, by meaningful student-centred pedagogy. From improving recorded playbacks, to monitoring self-progress through checklists, student blogging, reflection on completed tasks, and goal creation for the future, it has been nothing short of rewarding to watch my students take charge of their own learning. 

How do you your students assess their own work? How do you help students to make appropriate and fair judgments of their own work to improve for the future? Your commentary is appreciated as I continue to build on this aspect of my classroom.

You've read it, you've watched it. If you know me, you'll know that I think Twitter is an amazing place to build an educational PLN.

But lately I've noticed something. Something that, if changed, might change everything as us Twitter-ers know it…

That “something” is a something that I, too, have experienced: A tweeter’s voice tends to be only as big as its follower count. We typically revere and idolize those who have large followings and set them on a pedestal, especially when we are just at the beginning. “They must be smarter and more brilliant; they must have more to offer than... me. I’m just me, after all...” I remember saying these things to myself six months ago. And sometimes, I catch myself still doing it. 

I’m not here to say that the folks with large following counts aren’t brilliant or worth holding in high regard - we know that is not true in most cases. But I am here to say, in the most sincere and respectful way that I possibly can, that we all need to listen to different voices and perspectives, regardless of their follower count. Behind every educator’s Twitter handle, there is a person with a valuable opinion and outlook on education.

So in my reflection of this, I got thinking… Can you imagine what would change on our PLNs if no one knew how many people were following you?

Ask yourself these questions...

If no one knew how many people were following you, what would change?
...Would your voice change?
...Would your contributions change?
...Would you tweet more? Less? 

Could you begin to inspire others if no numbers were attached? Or could you continue to?
...Would people listen?

Could conversations be further enriched? 
....Would more educators feel safer in making contributions?

Would there still be "rockstars"? 

How would leaders emerge? Is that a natural process?

Would more people decide for themselves rather than going with trends?

Would our connections with one another change?


Just some food for thought. Some consideration. Some questions. If we didn't see quantitative follower/following information, I genuinely believe that the attitudes of the learning community might change.

It doesn't matter if you have ten followers or ten thousand, everyone has something to add to the conversation. Twitter is a tool that I use to share with, learn from, and offer help to other educators. What do you use it for?

Use Aurasma in your classroom or school? Want a quick visual for kids and parents to know where your auras are? 

Feel free to download and print out the template for these standard mailing labels. We stick them to the things we want to augment! 

This post will be available for future reference in the  "Augmented Reality" section of my website. 

This is a video project that I created for my Mobile Technologies class (ETEC 565M) in the UBC Master of Educational Technology program.

My personal journey with this social media has opened up and transformed my educational world. Because of Twitter, I have enjoyed several professional experiences over the past six months like connecting with colleagues at edcamps, traveling to California to attend conference and collaborate with other educators, and establishing online communities and conversations through hashtags like #bcedchat. I am passionate about the use of this tool, among many, to help educators connect and transform their own professional learning experience.

Check out my video below to find out more!

Thanks for reading, watching, commenting, and sharing! Happy tweeting! 

Oh, man.  September is over.  Queue the music.  Breathe.  ... Right?

This first month of school has brought with it many adjustments in my world.  I'm at a new school, teaching a new grade, working with a new staff on technology goals, and getting used to the workload involved with two graduate courses. Needless to say, September has been a bit of a whirlwind.  Mix those together with all of the things I was already doing and that is a recipe for an imbalanced disaster.  A month later, I'm just starting to finally feel like I'm on top of these new demands.  My absence from blogging has been due to my attempts to normalize my new realities.  Something had to go on the back burner for the month.  But now, I'm in control.... for the moment.

People often ask me, "How do you have time for all of that extra stuff?" These questions always spin me into a state of reflection.  Of course, I've asked myself the same thing.  How do I have time?  Is my life in a perpetual state of imbalance?  Am I happy even though I work practically every waking moment of the day? Is burnout inevitable? 

If you've ever been in a similar situation, you'll relate that reflecting on this is extremely difficult.  When you're so entrenched in the status quo, it's hard to see how far you can bend before you break.  While connecting to new people and ideas is important, it's also important to take a step back to understand what you're capable of and why it matters to you.  That's what fuels my passion -- the "why" I do it, not the "how".

So here's why it all matters to me:

1. I absolutely adore my students and want to deliver the best educational experience they can possibly have.
   
2. I love learning.  I love finding out new information.  Between my PLN and the MET Graduate program, I am consistently forced outside my comfort zone, and that's a good thing.
3. Growth is essential in our profession.  If you don't set out to improve yourself, no one is going to do it for you.
4. I am passionate about meaningful technology integration in the classroom.  It needs to be relevant for the future, not the present, and certainly not the past. 
5. Throughout this journey, I've made incredible connections who have given me consistently overwhelming support every step of the way. I want to pay it forward and inspire others to connect.
   
   

 With those things in mind, I can confidently say that I'm very happy with my life and the time that I dedicate to my work and studies.  Should I be making more time for other things?  Sure.  I'd argue that most educators could use a little more balance.  But just as September did, this, too, shall pass.

The first week of school in my district can be confusing, stressful, and nerve-wracking for some, perhaps even most.  Our classes are not set until the end of the first week as we wait for upper management to confirm and crunch the final numbers for student enrolment at each school.  Careful thought is put into class composition as we move forward to determining which students we will be working with this year. 

But while all of that is going on, we are still teaching.  We are not necessarily teaching our kids that we will receive, though we might have a few of them in our midst.  We don't know that until the classes are set on Friday.  This is something that challenges me year after year as I always strive to create purposeful learning opportunities.  I stress over planning aspects because I find it difficult to make my teaching meaningful when I can't continue the journey with the same students.  It's all about relationships.

But the group I have been working with are a wonderful bunch of Grade 4 students who have made me feel incredibly at home in my new job.  Not only have they been welcoming, kind, and receptive to my style, but we have had so much fun in the little time I've gotten to know them.  Needless to say, I'm going to be sad to see many of them move on to other classrooms.  Luckily, a few of them will be staying with me as I am teaching a Grade 3/4 split this year. 

Today we journeyed through the first stages of the MindUP program.  I am a huge advocate for promoting social responsibility and self-regulation within students.  I believe that everyone, no matter the personality or background, deserves an opportunity to develop the skills needed to become an independent and contributing citizen to their communities.  This can translate in many ways depending on the needs of the learner, but as always, I'm challenging them to meet a higher standard than the one in which they enter my classroom.  

MindUP is based upon deep-breathing exercises and metacognition.  It allows students to understand the parts of their brain at work in social processes and to become more aware, or "mindful," of the impact they have on themselves and others.  By using a common language in class that includes brain anatomy and neural processes, students begin to understand that they are truly in control of their reactive selves in social situations, both in the classroom and in real-world contexts.

My big edu-win today was that even though I may never teach some of these kids again, the lessons we experienced together were meaningful, filled with enriched discussion, and curiosity.   I even had a couple who approached me to say that they wanted to continue learning about "self-control by using their brain."  This day made me forget all about being stressed out about creating "one-off lessons" and to remember that every day, every moment, can impact the life of a student.

Thanks for reading!  I encourage you to comment below to tell your classroom's stories of building community, relationships, and mindful learners. 

Remind101 is a free, safe, and efficient way to communicate with students and parents via SMS (text) messaging.  You can sign up for the service on their website or through their iOS or Android apps on your phone or device. 

Remind101 does not give your subscribers your personal phone number and does not allow for them to reply to your reminders.  Likewise, you cannot access the personal phone numbers of your subscribers. Messages cannot be edited or deleted once sent, either. 

Once you sign up and create a class, Remind101 will generate a domestic phone number and unique class code so that subscribers to your class can begin to sign up.  Any phone that receives text messages will be able to subscribe to your class reminders.

Through both the web portal and the app, you can schedule SMS messages to be sent out at specific times.  Another cool feature is that if you are composing a message at a late hour - let's be honest, teachers work often work late - you will be prompted to schedule the message to roll out at a more reasonable time.  After all, your subscribers probably don't want to receive a text message at 12:30 AM! 

The text message interface is set up exactly as a regular SMS message.  In the screenshot below, I have sent the code to subscribe to my class texts, and followed the prompts sent back to set up the subscription.  Having your parents and/or students inputting their full name is important so that you can manage your subscription lists.  You don't want to have anyone on your subscription list that isn't a part of your class.

Near the bottom of this same screenshot, you will see that every time I send out a text message via the Remind101 web portal or iPhone app, my name will appear at the front of the text.  This will remind parents and students who don't save your Remind101 number into their phones that the text is from you. 

It is my hope that these instructions can help you get set up with this awesome app.  Communicating is easy when you have Remind101! 

This post will be available for future reference under "Remind 101" on my site. 

Aurasma is the primary app and web resource that I utilize for getting my students to create their own augmented reality (AR).  For those that do not know, augmented reality is the ability to digitally overlay images or video overtop of a static image or "trigger image."  AR is often jokingly referred to as "QR codes on steroids." After creating an aura using Aurasma, you would then point the iPad camera at the trigger image, which would automatically generate the overlay video or image onto the screen of your device. 

There are some specific things that you need to know before getting started with Aurasma in your classroom:

1) You need an account via Aurasma Studio 

2) Create a Channel for your classroom/class section through your new Aurasma Studio Account

3) You will need to sign into your account on each device that you will use in your classroom OR follow your channel to see the auras you create on your studio account (see gallery below for visuals)

4)  UPDATE: Auras created on devices can be viewed immediately on other devices that are signed into the same Aurasma account. However, they cannot be added to a channel for other users to view on their devices. (...yet. Perhaps soon on another update!)

When getting started with Aurasma, it would be prudent to go through these amazing tutorial videos on twoguysandsomeipads.com.  The authors of the site are Drew Minock and Brad Waid, and they are leaders in the field of augmented reality in education.  There is also a fantastic compilation on their site of "Meaningful Integration of AR in Education," co-authored by several educators, myself included, that hosts some amazing ideas of integrating augmented reality into the classroom. 

Happy augmenting of reality! Thanks for reading!

This post will be available for future reference in the "Augmented Reality" section of my website. 

The educational realm of the Internet: A place where sharing is encouraged, but for the newbie, the audience can be perceived as a pack of hungry wolves idly waiting to tear your ideas apart...

If this is your thinking as someone new to educational blogging, tweeting, or sharing of information, I want to stop you dead in your tracks.  There is certainly a scary notion to sharing your ideas on the Internet, particularly through the forum of blogging, where what you share can be accessed and criticized at any moment.  At least a tweet disappears down a feed and is less and less likely to be accessed again after some time has passed.  I would argue that easy access and susceptibility to criticism is the #1 reason that the "newbies" and "lurkers" don't share their work in passion areas in a blog format.  While that reason is certainly valid, I have several reasons to counter that thought.


Who Are You Blogging For? 

Blogging should first and foremost be of value to the sharer.  My personal mission with blogging is to better develop my educational ideas so that I can better educate my students.  When I began writing my blog posts, I found that my motivation to make my ideas "airtight" increased - to rethink all possible angles, to craft my ideas and transform them from something good into something great. My ideas became more than a simple thought that floated through my mind just as I was about to fall asleep; they became strategized published works and they developed further than I could have imagined some of them developing.  Reflective processes are greatly strengthened as a result of sharing because you anticipate the criticism before it even comes.  It should be considered that you are very likely impacting and helping others through the sharing of your ideas, but it should not be your primary focus.  While it's great to help others as a result of your blog, you should be helping yourself first! 

I Don't Have the Gift of the Written Word!

What if I don't have the ability to "box up ideas" and tie a bow on them? Guess what?  That ability doesn't develop overnight.  Worse yet, what if I don't have any ideas?!  Relax!  The best writers in the world didn't learn their craft by opening up a webpage, slapping random ideas onto it, and clicking "publish."  They brainstormed.  They dreamed.  They wrote.  They re-wrote. They threw it out.  And then they started again.  Even as I write this very post, I'm keeping notes for myself at the bottom of the text box of what I need to accomplish in this post and things I've cut out because they just don't fit.  Some of those cuts have even given me ideas for future posts.  As an added bonus, blogging has helped to further develop my writing abilities and to forge my own personal style .  As you, too, continue to practice that craft, you, too, will become better at it. 


What Are People Going To Say About It?

Of course, we have to touch on criticism.  Criticism is a tricky concept to address because everyone takes it differently. Personally, I've always been the person who has focused on the single piece of negative feedback swimming in the greater sea of positive feedback.  I'm finding that there are a ton of people like me who practice that bad habit.  However, something that Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like A Pirate, writes about criticism rings mighty true in my ears: 

Through blogging, I've learned to take criticism as an opportunity to better myself.  Instead of viewing it simply as criticism, I view it as constructive criticism.  If a person is taking the time to pick apart my idea, then it is in my best interests to explore why that is occurring.  Perhaps there is an avenue I hadn't considered?  Or perhaps the context of the idea is not well-communicated through my writing style?  I always try to spin that commentary into a positive question that will help me learn how to better develop and communicate my ideas.  Educators are not meant to be islands; let the criticism of others remind you that you can be better tomorrow than you were today. 

The last thing on this topic: there typically isn't that much criticism to be had in the blogosphere.  As mentioned earlier, the tendency to focus on the negative that might happen is what instigates the fear to post in the first place.  The truth is this: the online educational world is FULL of positive and amazingly supportive individuals who will undoubtedly extend that same courtesy to you.  Feel comfort in knowing that they're anything but the "hungry pack of wolves" that I alluded to at the beginning of this post. 


How Do I Start?

That answer is simple: Pick a blogging tool and GO!!!  

I use Weebly because I love the drag and drop interface (very easy for beginner bloggers), but there is also Blogger, Edublogs, Wordpress, Tumblr... I'm sure the list goes on.  Pick one that fits with your tech abilities and/or workflow.  Once you have it set up, draft a bunch of different working titles based on your ideas and topics of interest.  I usually have 5-6 saved drafts going at one time and I'll add pieces to them here and there as I see fit.  Honestly, though, most of the time I just get an idea and complete the post in the same day.  It really helps me sort out the weaker topics that I come up with and builds relevance for my day-to-day observations of my world or areas I need to build upon for my teaching practice. 
 

It is my hope that this post can inspire new bloggers to take the plunge and start sharing their innovative ideas.  I invite all of my readers, whether new to blogging or a seasoned blogger, to continue this conversation and share feedback with me by leaving a comment below.  Thanks for reading!

- Victoria

Disclaimer: This post is long. Buckle your seatbelts.

In July, I made a last minute decision to take a trip.  I had no idea where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, or whom I wanted to meet; I just wanted to get away from my house in Langley and explore someplace new.  After much deliberation, my finger landed on San Francisco - a city that boasts history, beauty, and an enriched culture, and a region that gives a curious tourist like me much to do.

I contacted a few Twitter friends on the matter and the trip turned into something much more than a simple getaway - it turned into an experience of a lifetime.  Life-changing even, or so I tell people who ask.  Immediately upon hearing that, the listener’s thought is spurred: “How exactly was it life-changing?” Well, here’s what made it life-changing for me:

People I knew only through the series of tubes that is the Internet – talented and dedicated educators whom I held the utmost respect for – offered the most jaw-dropping hospitality I’ve ever experienced...  Welcome to Hotel California! They opened their doors for me, toured me around, drove me and my infamous suitcase where we needed to go, and introduced me to a world that I hadn’t imagined possible before.  I got to talk edtech with leaders in the field day after day, meet with app developers, and explore the campuses of edtech giants such as Google and Apple.  I attended CUE Rock Star Teacher Camp where I had the pleasure of assisting Drew Minock with his mini keynote presentation on Augmented Reality and met even more amazing people who I will undoubtedly continue to work with in the future.

So how is that life-changing exactly? Because my online connections became real. They turned into people that I can now confidently call my friends, and ones I will continue to work with on future educational projects.

David Malone, Alice Keeler, and Diane Darrow are now more than superstars behind a Twitter handle. Sharing the experience of touring Google and Apple with them was priceless. These people are just honest-to-goodness kind people who all have their own inspiring impact on education, and happened to include me on their journey! 

David and his family opened their home to me and made me feel like one of their own.  The hospitality of this amazing family is unmatched. Seriously. Oh, and be sure to check out his iTunesU course. Reading assessment game-changer.

Alice is easily one of the most fiery and passionate educators I’ve ever met.  From “lively device debater” to life coach, I seriously started to take notes.  Then again, I didn’t really have to take notes because it’s ALL on her awesome blog.

Diane holds a special spot in my heart. She is funny, engaging, and she LOVES kids. She is knowledgeable and will not hesitate to offer her advice on classroom ideas – of which she has many that engage higher order skills.  And playing Android action figures with her on the ride back from Apple/Google wasn’t bad, either. 

The amazingly cool Karl Lindgren-Streicher brought the most real, down-to-earth educational voice to this trip that I could have asked for. Not only did he push my standards, he also made me think about education from the stance of a content-specific high school teacher rather than as an elementary generalist.  And he gave me a nickname that may live through the ages, much to my dismay. 

Lisa Highfill is seriously the nicest human being on the planet – I could sit and talk with her for hours about edtech tools and classroom models that turn us into giddy geeks.  Efficient workflow strategies for the win! 

Diane Main was a treat - she is hilarious. Our trip to Santa Cruz with the international MERIT attendees will not soon be forgotten… And neither will #spatula jokes.

Drew – or as I more endearingly referred to him, “Michigan” - and I explored the city for days together seeing the sights and meeting app developers. He NEVER stops working for those who are curious, but he is very professional and has so many awesome ideas for classroom applications with software. I am excited to continue working with Drew and his class in the upcoming school year on some global collaboration projects. And if you don’t know about his site, be sure to remedy that and click there NOW.

Sam Patterson and Wokka Patue swiftly became a normal sight in my days, providing endless laughs and bringing oodles of fun into the Rock Star conference. The live #patue chat was a blast, too! 

Carrie Gehringer, my #patue buddy, was insanely fun to hang out with on the fantail of the USS Hornet.  She brings a laid-back, cool-cat attitude that we all need in our lives. 

John Stevens and I met at the Palo Alto #brewcue and became fast friends, relating on everything from sharing the same birthday to our awe towards the impact of Twitter as a PLN. Oh, and he hosts/contributes to a gazillion educational websites (link to one of them) and is the most talented “shredder” I’ve ever met. (Check out the "Shreds" section of that link to find out for yourself.) This guy is going places.

Scott Inman was a riot, from finding cream cheese from breakfast in his pockets late in the evening to clunking down his “bag of tricks” on the fantail. He was also nice enough to give Drew and I a ride to the BART after Rock Star was over. Amazing guy.

Erin Lunde, the girl who just happened to sit next to Drew and I in our first session at CUE Rock Star, won MVP for staying on the boat after hours despite her commitments.  Give her a follow – she WILL get excited. 

Curt and the Hornet crew played amazing hosts on this floating museum.  What an amazing place to hold an ed-conference and they made it worth every penny with their knowledge, expertise, and of course, direction-giving. (IT WAS A  MAZE)

And finally, Jon Corippo, the master mind, or as he calls himself “the baby daddy, “ behind CUE Rock Star, was incredibly generous and flexible in the way he ran the conference, making it into the experience that fit the people that were there.  He made it possible for all of us “crazy teachers” to connect with ease through this conference model.  I’m SO excited to return again next year to the Bay Area Rock Star conference.

I could continue.... I could. But sincerely, there is no way for me to scratch the surface of the impact of this trip on my view of the world of education, and my view of my PLN, but I had to try.  (And I’m sure you’re all wondering when this thing is going to end, even though I gave you fair warning with my disclaimer.) 

I am so honoured (yes, the Canadian way) to have spent time with these eduawesome people, among many more who I met on my trip.  Life-changing? Yes...