Friday, September 30, 2016

@IMMOOC - Innnovation

I have always viewed innovation as trying something new and different. I grew up with parents who encouraged trying new things and finding new ways to accomplish a task. When I compare my career as a psychotherapist to an educator, I struggle with innovation in education. The field of psychology is constantly reading, researching and trying interventions to fit the perspective of clients. Juxtapose, education where it seems we teach to 1985. In my current state, the view is, if it fails, never try anything ever again. Failure is a change to regroup, rebuild and try again!

I like the definition of innovation being something new and better. Innovation in education is not just technology tools, but changing our we teach and how we learn. Moving towards innovation requires having relationships, being connected and listening to the needs of others. Innovation cannot happen in a vacuum, it happens in community.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

#ETCoach Blog Challenge Week 3

As an Ed Tech Coach, I love sharing cool new tech tools to engage students and transform teaching and learning. 

1. Hootsuite - This tool allows users to manage multiple social media networks and profiles. 

2. Canva - This tool allows you to create infographics, flyers and more. The tool is very intuitive and simple. 

3. Adobe Spark - Adobe Spark lets users create and share pictures and videos. This is a great tool for digital storytelling.

4. Plickers - This is a great tool for classrooms without a response system. Plickers require printed plicker cards and a teacher mobile device. It is great for formative assessments or exit tickets.

5. SMART Notebook - This tool allows teachers to create engaging and interactive lessons for students using the SMART board. 

Monday, September 26, 2016

#ETCoaches Blog Challenge Week 2

My current role is that of an Ed Tech Coach. This year we are having a shift in our role and responsibilities. Change can be hard initially, but is welcomed. 

Strengths It is hard for me to talk about strengths since I tend to be very tough on myself. However, I feel I am intuitive and have a good sense of what is going on within the system and it's functioning. 

Challenges A huge current challenge is the transition of our roles & responsibilities at work. We are shifting our role to a more global role to make large systemic changes rather than working 1:1 with teachers or putting out one fire at a time. I love our changes, but when just a few people are making the change and the system is not, it makes it VERY difficult.

I love my role in terms of sharing the good news of our district. I do have the opportunity to work in schools and I get to see the awesome things teachers are doing to transform learning!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

#ETCoaches Blog Challenge Week 1

Hello and welcome to my Innovations & Expectations blog. My name is Mandy Green and I am currently and Ed Tech Coach on Oklahoma. My other roles in education have included:

  • K-2 teacher
  • High school counselor
  • Special Education counselor
  • Career Tech counselor

When I taught Kindergarten, I had a blog I used as a weekly newsletter. Then as I moved to 2nd grade, it changed and became a place to showcase the cool things we were learning and creating in class. Then as my role shifted to educational technology, my blog has shifted with it! This blog is, currently, a collection of thoughts, ideas and cool things I see in schools. 

I am excited to participate in the #ETCoaches PLN and look forward to learning and expanding my worldview. 




Friday, September 23, 2016

#IMMOOC - Change






The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines change as:

  • to become different
  • to make someone or something different
  • to become something else























As a former psychotherapist, now in education, change can be hard. Change can seem impossible and scary. The first step in making a change is the hardest step. It is also common to hear that change is the only constant and if you are not changing, you are being left behind. 

To make changes in education, we must be scared, not afraid to fail and step out to make changes, which are in the best interest of learners. As educators, we must be risk-takers and commit to trying unconventional means to meeting the needs of learners. 

I, currently, have a great supervisor who lets me try new ideas for our district and if I fail, we re-evaluate and try again. However, if I succeed, we keep pushing the envelope. 

Be brave, connect, collaborate and push the boundaries.



Friday, September 9, 2016

International Dot Day!

What is International Dot Day? International Dot Day began when Terry Shay introduced Peter Reynold's book, The Dot to his class. The day is all about celebrating creativity, self expression and bravery.




There are many ways to celebrate Dot Day in your class. Check out the links below!

  1.  Mrs. Rosenquist's Class
  2.  Mrs. Bowker's Class
  3.  Tech Tips: A Thinglink Synopsis of International  Dot Day
Also, do not forget to check out Skype in the Classroom, I bet there are many teachers interested in skyping and sharing their Dot Day creativity!