Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario

It has been three years since my husband wrote this powerful post. During the last few years, he has worked with a several schools and businesses in our region to make sure they are prepared in case the unthinkable happens. I wish we didn't have to talk about active shooters, but the fact remains that they pose a very real threat. If you are not already talking about this in your school, I hope this post will be something you can use to initiate a conversation. _________________________________________________________


My name is Kristofor Still (@kris_still). As you have probably guessed by now, I am married to Beth Still, who is the author of this blog. Before I dive too deep into this guest blog that Beth has asked me to write, I feel you need to know who I am and the level of experience I possess in my fields of expertise.


I have been in Law Enforcement now for almost 19 years; the last 13 years have been with the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Department in Nebraska. I have been a SWAT team member for the last 11 years and a SWAT sniper for the last 6 years. I am also one of the department’s two firearms instructors. In May of 2012, I was given a great opportunity as I was one a select few from across the state who were able to gain a certification as an Active Shooter Response Instructor. I teach a two day class to area Law Enforcement Officers along with Chief Deputy Troy Brown.


As most of you probably know by now, today was one of the most horrific days in the history of the United States. A killer walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and killed 20 children and 6 adults. Of those killed, a majority of were kindergarteners.


When something like this happens and innocent children are killed, it tears at the hearts of a nation. Destroying what we as parents hold dearest to our hearts shock us to the core. It makes us realize how fragile life really is and how one crazed, sick person can take it away in the blink of an eye.


As I mentioned above, I am one of three instructors in our county that teach active shooter response to our area Law Enforcement Officers. Because of this, my wife knows that I am passionate about making sure that our officers are prepared both mentally and physically to go in and meet this evil head on and terminate it as quickly as possible in order to stop the killing.


Like most parents across our nation today, we talked at great length when Beth arrived home from school about what we can do as Law Enforcement Officers and Educators to stop this from happening. Beth came to me because she knows that I have also in the past gone to two of our area schools and provided them in-put on ways the school and teachers can protect themselves and the children. The sad thing about all of this is that my advice fell on deaf ears. I know that neither school followed through with any of the recommendations provided to them. I believe the reason that nothing was done was two fold. First of all, too many administrators fall into a comfort zone and genuinely believe that this kind of evil will never happen here. The second reason is because of the all mighty dollar. In both schools that I went to, I talked about purchasing certain items that could be used to aid teachers in protecting and or keeping intruders out of their rooms in the case that they were unable to escape. I felt that in both cases, I lost them once it came down to spending money.


I am often asked by people and teachers what they need to do in the case of active shooter in the building or school in which they are located. I start off by telling them to follow the acronym A.D.D. This stands for AVOID, DENY, DEFEND. I tell teachers, administrators, law enforcement officers, and citizens the same thing.


AVOID: Escape the scene as quickly as possible. If you are able to run, do so until you are sure you are in a safe place.


DENY (entry): If you unable to get out, barricade yourself in a room. Pile all of the furniture and heavy items in front of the door as possible and then quietly hide in the room in an area that would provide cover and concealment from an active shooter who wants to try to shoot into the room. Remember that an active shooters main goal is to kill as many people as possible to provide the greatest shock factor to his or her audience. They do not like to get hung up on a closed and locked door. This will slow them down too much for them to effectively accomplish their mission or goal. Most likely, they will move on.


DEFEND: If you are unable to escape or secure yourself in a safe room, you need to fight for your life. Find any items that you can use as a weapon. These are items of convenience such as a fire extinguisher, coat rack, trash can, chair, etc. If you are able to, find others in your same position that are of the sound mind and body to assist you in fighting for your life as well as the other innocent people who could fall victim to the senseless killing that is happening.


Another major problem that I am seeing in our schools is that our teachers are given a policy or a flip chart to follow in times of an emergency. This may work if you are talking about a fire drill or tornado drill, but teachers need leeway in their decision making when they are dealing with an active shooter. Most teachers are by nature known to be rule followers. This creates problems as they tend to fall back on a flip chart or policy and ignore that sixth sense about what they should do. The way I describe this to our new law enforcement recruits is by telling them that if something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Learn to follow your sixth sense and do what you feel is right.


Early on in this post, I spoke about certain in-expensive items that I recommended these schools purchase for each teacher or each room. Below is a list of these items that I recommended to them and am now recommending to you.


1) Tactical door wedges. These can be found on-line and typically cost between $15 and $20 a piece. These secure the door to the floor from inside the room, so the door can be permanently locked. If done properly, the only way you can open the door is to tear it down with an axe or chainsaw.


2) A claw hammer with a long handle. These can be used as both a weapon to fight with or a tool to break and rake windows to aid in escape if your room has exterior windows.


3) Medical kit to include a tunicate and a clotting agent. Remember that the first responders that are entering the building are not there to provide medical attention to those that are injured. They by-pass the injured and going straight to the threat so they can stop the killing as quickly as possible.


4) Rope or fire escape ladders. To aid in escape through an outer window if you are on the second or third floor of a school or structure.


5) Emergency blankets. These can be used to help comfort the wounded or to throw over the broken glass in a window pane prior to escape.


6) Cell phones or emergency radios for each classroom. Communication is key to any law enforcement officers or tactical teams arriving on scene. If you are able to provide pertinent information to police dispatch, you can aid in response time by providing the locations of the shooter(s) inside the structure.


7) A box, tote, or five gallon bucket to hold all of these items as they are stored in a safe place inside the classroom.


As you can see above, these are not high priced items. Push your administrator to purchase these for each classroom and tell him or her why you feel it is important. If they refuse to help your school, find ways to make this happen on your own. Some of the items above may be lying around your house or garage and could easily be transported to your school. The rest that needs to be purchased could easily be justified as inexpensive life insurance policy.

As an educator you are responsible for protecting your students if at all possible. Too many times in these cases of school shootings, there were red flags that many noticed, but failed to report until after the unthinkable happened. If you see or hear something that you consider to be red flag with a student, report it. Start by telling an administrator or counselor. If this fails and you believe they pose a true threat, talk to one of your trusted law enforcement officers.

In closing, I want you to ask yourself this; could you live with yourself if you failed to prepare, act, or report a possible future threat that resulted in the death of a student, wife, husband, son, daughter, grandparent or co-worker. You owe it to yourself and your students to be their first line of defense by educating yourself and making good sound decisions!


Below are images of a tactical wedge and a tactical strap. Both can be purchased from Botachtactical.

Google Innovation Academy

This time last year I was in Austin, TX for the Google Teacher Academy. I had applied for years and I FINALLY made it in! I knew it would be an incredible experience....and it was. Everyone who had a hand in organizing our academy did a fantastic job. Our lead learners were beyond amazing! For two wonderful days I got to learn with and from some of the most talented educators on the planet.

Many of us still stay in contact either in our Google+ community, Voxer group or Twitter. I think I can speak for our entire cohort when I say that some of the friendships that formed during our academy will most certainly last a lifetime.

I'm telling you all of this because applications open TODAY for the Google Certified Innovator. I am so excited that I cannot stand it and I can't even apply! (But I would LOVE to help with the selection process!)

If you visit the Google Training Center you can find out the details of what you need to do to apply. The best advice I can give you is to follow the directions to the letter and don't be afraid to share your passion and enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and sharing. If you applied in the past but weren't accepted I hope you apply again. I was rejected over and over, but I eventually made it in. Each time I didn't make it into an academy, I reflected on what I could have done differently or what areas I could focus on to improve. I knew that the competition was fierce, but I did not let that deter me.

Any moment now the details of the Innovation Academy will be announced. It will be a fantastic opportunity for 50 or so educators to spend a couple of days with truly amazing people while developing an innovation plan that is designed to change education. Will you be one of them?

Follow the hashtag #GoogleEI. I cannot wait to see the next cohort of Google Innovators!

Thank you N.C. :)

Flippity: Create Flashcards Using a Google Sheet

There are times when flashcards can be a good learning tool. Whether it is elementary students learning how to read the time on a clock or high school students trying to match famous paintings with the artist that painted them, flashcards can help. Flippity allows you to turn a simple Google Sheet into flashcards and so much more! The playlist below walks you through the process.

Flippity makes the process so simple. You can build the spreadsheet yourself, have students collaborate to build a shared set of cards, or have students build their own spreadsheet. If you want students to incorporate a nonlinguistic representation of an idea or word it would be best for them to create their own spreadsheet. They can even draw a representation on paper, take a picture of it, then save that image to their spreadsheet. The only limit with what you and your students can do with this is your imagination!

What Can I Do?

My district has been hit with wave after wave of tragedy over the last five years. The loss of three teachers since March has caused so much heartache and created voids that just cannot be filled. Our superintendent, Bob Hastings, wrote a post where he shared some words of wisdom about what we can do in times of such sorrow. With his permission I am reposting What Can I Do ? with the hope that it will inspire you to follow his advice.

Written by Bob Hastings (@BasicBobH) on August 27, 2015

Over the past five months, Gering Public Schools has been stricken with unspeakable tragedy and loss. In March, we dealt with the unexpected death of 39 year Geil Elementary teacher Kathy Keller. In May, we once again faced tragedy with the unexpected death of 23 year Freshman Academy math teacher, coach, and assistant athletic director Gary Smith. Then, just this past Monday, we were struck by the sudden loss of 30 year GHS social studies teacher, theater and speech coach Jason deMaranville.

In each instance, as our staff and students have dealt with extreme grief, we have been touched by the love and support that our community has poured out upon us. The gifts of food, kind words, and support are made meaningful not so much by what they are, but by what they represent. These gifts show us that you are worried about us, that you are thinking of us, that you care.

Through each of these tragedies, after talking about how Mrs. Keller, Mr. Smith, or Mr. D have somehow touched their lives or the lives of their kids, the question that I have been most asked has been, “Is there something I can do?”

I want to tell you, there is something you can do. Something that doesn’t cost money or take a lot of time to do. But it is something that means everything.

What is that something? Find that teacher that made a difference for you. Find that teacher that has touched your child. Find that teacher and tell them what they mean to you. Find that teacher and send them a note of gratitude. Find that teacher and tell them about that time when they did something that made a difference for you or your child.

This week, I have been awestruck listening to the stories of grieving students as they have talked about what Mr. D meant to them. I have listened to friends and students say things like, “I wish I would have said…”

So, is there something you can do? Yes. Go tell your teacher thanks. Thanks for pouring their life into yours. And, please, don’t wait. Do it today!

Ditch the Worksheets and Notes and Make Learning More Meaningful to Your Students

For the first few years I taught I KILLED myself grading. My students would complete at least one worksheet during class and they would usually have at least one other assignment and a test or quiz. It was a LOT of work! It was not only a lot of work to grade all of it, but I usually created the assignments myself. (Other than the first year I taught I never used the materials that came with the textbook.) My classes followed a pattern that way too many classes still follow today: introduce a unit, take notes & answer questions out of the book, review the highlights, take a test (usually multiple choice and true/false so I could use the Scantron to grade them) and repeat for the next unit.

During the summer of 2008 I was part of a group of teachers that was responsible for designing online classes for a virtual academy. One of the classes I created was a World History class and the other one was a US History class. The curriculum specialist that worked with us for the first few days introduced us to the work of Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins. She walked us through the framework known as Understanding by Design (UbD) and it completely changed how I looked at teaching, learning, and assessment. UbD is often called Backward Design because traditionally we start with content and then design our assessments which are usually multiple choice tests, at the conclusion of the unit of study. The Backward Design begins with the assessment. I love UbD because it is very simple and straightforward. There are only THREE steps!

Step 1
Determine what students should know, understand, and be able to do.

Step 2
Determine how you will know what students know, understand, and can do.

Step 3
Plan lessons and learning experiences.

This is an incredibly simplified explanation but for the purpose of this post it is enough. There are additional resources regarding UbD at the end of this post, but I want to share how I used this process in my classroom.

During that summer while I was designing courses using the Backward Design model something clicked. I began using this method with the classes I taught face-to-face and things just began to make so much more sense to me. I realized that my old routine of reading/notes, answering questions, then testing was not allowing my students to demonstrate their learning. It was during the 2008-2009 school year that I completely stopped using multiple choice tests and exclusively began using performance-based assessment. The days of trying to keep all students on the same page were over and it was so liberating for both myself and my students!

A common frustration I still have when reading blogs is that teachers share great ideas, but they rarely share the steps in the process. This post might end up being very long, but in the end you might walk away with some ideas that will transform your classroom routine.

The classes I taught were 9 weeks long and I taught 4 different classes each year. It didn't matter if I was teaching geography, history, or government, the planning process was still the same. I always started with a calendar and the state standards. One of the first classes I taught face-to-face using Backward Design was a course I developed called Learning Geography Through the National Parks.

I began by examining the Nebraska geography standards:

• 12.3.1 Students will analyze where and why people, places, and environments are organized on the Earth's surface. 
• 12.3.2 Students will examine how regions form and change over time. 
• 12.3.3 Students will interpret how natural processes interact to create the natural environment. 
• 12.3.4 Students will analyze and interpret patterns of culture around the world. 
• 12.3.5 Students will evaluate interrelationships between people and the environment. 
• 12.3.6 Students will analyze issues and events using the geographic knowledge and skills to make informed decisions. 

Since we only had 9 weeks (approximately 18 90-minute classes and a no homework policy) I had to determine which standards were most important. I eliminated standards 12.3.4  and 12.3.6 right away because they did not fit well into what I wanted my students to focus on for that quarter. Using the remaining four standards I came up with a list of what I wanted my students to know, understand, and be able to do. This list included things such as: 

• Describe how your park was formed. (Each student selected a national park that they focused on for the quarter.) 
• Describe how climate impacts the flora and fauna in your park.
• Explain how erosion, humans, and natural forces such as earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. impact your park. 

Each student set up a Google Site to act as their workspace for the quarter. I created a template for them to use that included a page for each of the standards. Each of those pages included a list of performance indicators such as the ones listed above. (There were a few more, but I only included three for demonstration purposes.) Students had the option of which section they wanted to work on. During class I circulated around the room and made sure they were not stuck and that they were actually making progress. Students would let me know when they completed a section and were ready for me to grade it. In addition to giving them a rubric for each component,  I provided them with constant feedback so they knew exactly how they were doing on each step. I would also let them know if they needed to spend a little extra time outside of class or if they were right where they needed to be. Since everything was done inside of Google it was easy to provide private, written feedback as well as verbal feedback during class. 

Students used resources on the web to find the information they need to answer the questions. They were required to evaluate each site using a form much like this one. Their websites looked very much like an Wikipedia page because they contained facts, images, and references. Once they completed all of the pages they used Google Earth to create a narrated virtual tour of their park that included at least a dozen points of interest. During the last couple days of class the students presented their websites and tours to the class. 

There was no final exam or other tests. The websites and tours were the assessment! Through synthesizing and creating my students demonstrated their knowledge, understanding, and skills. Moving to this type of learning not only was much easier for me, it was much more engaging for my students. They were provided with the opportunity to make choices along the way and I was able to provide support for students when they needed it. 

I was in the classroom five more years after I learned about UbD. As I became more comfortable with technology I allowed my students to make even more choices, especially when it came to how they would demonstrate their learning. Instead of being stressed out about my students being all over the place I embraced it. I was also more confident that the letter grades students were more accurate because they reflected what the students were capable of doing. Students were not held to due dates because they were working on different things. You might be thinking that if there were no due dates then students would just mess around during class. There were a few students who never did much, but that would be the case no matter what. The overwhelming majority enjoyed the challenge of finding information on their own.

The focus was on learning, not grades. They were actively engaged in their learning and they were not the least bit concerned about tinkering with their cell phones. I cannot tell you how satisfying it was when students were upset when class ended each day because they wanted to keep working! No matter what subject you teach I highly recommend redesigning your classes using Backward Design. It will take a little bit of getting used to, but it will be worth it! The links below have more information as well as some very useful templates to help you get started. 

Additional Resources

• Jay McTighe website
• Logic of Backward Design

Dear Teachers,

Dear Teachers,

What an exciting time to be in education! The combination of more affordable devices and bandwidth mean more students have access to technology than ever before. For the first time since I became involved in educational technology, I feel like we are on the cusp of seeing what we can really happen when students have access to devices. But simply having access to devices is not enough.

Education philosopher John Dewey said, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” Think about the implications of this for a moment. Are we really preparing our students for their world or for the world in which we grew up? So many of us teach the way we were taught because that is what we know and are familiar with. Our need for comfort and our natural desire to resist change can often times stand in the way of progress. Change simply for the sake of change is typically not a good idea, but we can no longer ignore the fact that we have to change and adjust what we are doing to make sure we are equipping our students not just with knowledge, but with vital skills as well. The days of lecturing and taking notes for hours on end and having students read and complete questions out of the book need to come to an end.

Skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, research, collaboration, communication, innovation and creativity are not new skills. These are the same skills that have been valued for generations. Technology can be a game changer, but innovation does not happen overnight and it does not happen by accident. Districts across the country have wasted millions of dollars on devices because they made the faulty assumption that simply providing students with devices it would somehow miraculously turn their schools around. Technology with no purpose or vision is worse than having no technology at all.

Many districts hire technology integration support specialists to make sure they keep moving in the right direction. Striving for classrooms where instruction is personalized and differentiated so it meets the interests and needs of students is typically the goal. Technology helps make this process much easier because it gives us unprecedented access to resources including other teachers! Student-centered classrooms where inquiry and project-based learning are the focus are the key to helping students build the skills they need to thrive in 2015 and beyond. Many districts, including mine, have adopted the SAMR model of technology integration as well as the ISTE technology standards for teachers and students. The SAMR framework and ISTE standards have proved to be incredibly useful during our journey.  

As a technology integrationist, a large part of my job is to help teachers increase the use of technology in their classroom. Many times teachers start where they are comfortable. My job is to push teachers out of their comfort zones and support them as they learn and grow. If you are lucky enough to work in a district that has a technology integrations on staff please take advantage of their skills and expertise. They can help you get going in the right direction and provide guidance and support, saving you countless hours of frustration and oceans of tears.  

Using technology to substitute (S in the SAMR model) what they are already doing is the usually the first step in integrating technology, but we HAVE to do more. While Chromebooks (and other devices) are a handy for word processing, reading online textbooks, and taking quizzes, we cannot even think about stopping there! We would be doing a huge disservice to our students if those were the only things they used computers for.

If your students have access to technology here are just some of the things they can do this year:

• participate in a backchannel chat with their peers and possibly experts in whatever they are learning about
• work with their peers to find the answer questions and solve problems that are meaningful to them—-not ones found in dry, boring textbooks
• take virtual field trips (Just wait until I show you Google Cardboard!)
• Skype and Hangout with other classrooms around the world
• Blog so their voice can be heard by a real audience and they can get authentic feedback from anyone in the world
• Connect with experts in a variety of fields using a variety of social media tools
• Develop a global perspective by connecting and communicating with students from around the world---they can talk about school, culture, music, food, entertainment or anything else they want
• Use a social bookmarking tool such as Diigo to curate and mark up websites and have an asynchronous conversation around the content on that site
• Go paperless!
• Design and publish digital posters using Tackk, LucidPress, and Google Drawings (as well as countless other apps!)
• Create a website to serve as a digital portfolio of all of their projects during the semester/year
• Create screencasts where they explain a concept
• Create interactive images using ThingLink (possibilities for this app are endless!)
• Use MyMaps in Google to map ANYTHING! (Locations of specific events in the novel they are reading, all of the battles in a war, a trip they plan in a geography class, etc)
• Use the Google Cultural Project to learn more about different works of art—-great for ELA, world language, math, social studies, music and art classes.
• Collaborate with peers on shared docs, slides, drawings.
• Collect and sort data using Google Sheets
• Use models and simulations to learn about the world
• Come up with creative and innovative ideas and share them with the world
• Demonstrate their ability to conduct searches online and evaluate information they find online
• Apply their prior knowledge to create workarounds when they encounter problems
• Demonstrate their ability to use social media responsibly by creating positive examples of their work
• Communicate and express their ideas and products using a variety of media and formats (still pictures, video, audio recordings)
• Write and publish a book
• Open a storefront on a site such as Etsy to sell physical items they create
• Work with their peers to identify issues in our community, state, nation and world and come up with ways to solve them

I'm not suggesting that you should do everything on this list. What I am saying is that if you continue teaching the way you were taught you are holding your students back from reaching their full potential and developing important skills. The world has changed and it is time that our classrooms reflect these changes. What are you waiting for?!

Kids Need to Be Kids

During the first week of school last year my daughter who had just started 4th grade came home and she was a little upset with me. Some of her friends had received a prize for completing a workbook over the summer that was the size of the JCPenny Christmas catalog. The workbook was filled with hundreds of drill and kill worksheets that were designed to keep students from forgetting skills they had learned to that point. Back in the spring we had the option to purchase the workbook again. Again I declined and this time I discussed the reasons with my daughter. 

I told her that I believe summers are for kids to unwind and relax. Her days should be spent reading books that she chooses and playing outside with her friends. I wanted her to spend as much time outside as she could----collecting bugs, swimming, decorating our driveway with sidewalk chalk. She is passionate about sports and I wanted her to focus on building her softball and soccer skills. On our recent trip to Florida she got to visit two different Aquariums. At the Clearwater Marine Aquarium she was able to touch stingrays and come face-to-face with Winter the dolphin. The only thing that separated them was about 3 inches of glass. She spent hours on the beach digging in the sand and building sand castles. She also spent time a little bit of time this summer doing absolutely nothing. 

She did exactly what she was supposed to do this summer. SHE WAS A KID! She explored and got dirty and I'm certain that she learned a few things along the way. Kids need to be kids during the school year as well. When they get home they need to play outside with their friends or spend time with their families. 

This is just one of the reasons why I HATE homework and I am opposed to it for students in all grades. Kids are overscheduled as it is. I have always believed when a student goes home that time is their time. My last school had a "no homework" policy, but even if they hadn't I never felt I had the right to expect them to go to school all day then do homework all evening. Instead of "covering" numerous topics in my classroom we went more in depth into fewer topics and we did everything we needed to do in class. I provided students with plenty of time to get their work completed in class. If they failed to get their work done in class or if they were gone then they were expected to complete it on their own time. This was a huge incentive for them to use their time wisely in class. 

I know my daughter is happier when she has the option to decide what she wants to do with her time. I read something the other day about how it is not good for employers to ask workers to put in more than 50 hours a week because the quality of work sharply declines after that. I have a hunch that the same is true of kids. Between the school day, extracurricular activities and homework we are demanding too much of our kids and they are burning out. I'm not suggesting that kids should not participate in extracurricular activities. I just think we need to be mindful of how much we are asking of our own children and of our students and make sure we allow them to be kids! 

Rules versus Expectations and What Worked for Me

The first day of school is right around the corner for most of us. It is an exciting time of year for students and teachers, but it can also be quite stressful. I want to share some of the things I learned over the years with the hope that maybe I can help get your year off to a good start.

It is important to recognize there is a huge difference between rules and expectations. So many rules that teachers post in their rooms are actually expectations---come to class on time, be prepared, be respectful, and the list goes on. Rules have consequences where expectations do not. In theory, when a student violates a rule there should be an appropriate and consistent consequence. The problem is that rules create a struggle for power that lasts for the entire year. We write these rules (sometimes very absurd rules) and we expect our students to follow them with very little to no discussion. It isn't realistic and it sets a negative tone from the very first day. (Thank you Louise Morgan for sharing the above cartoon with me.)

For the first couple of years of my career I wrote lots of "no" rules because it was what I experienced as a student. During my third or fourth year of teaching I attended a workshop where the presenter suggested that rules should be written using positive wording. For example, instead of saying something like no foul language tolerated the rule would say speak respectfully at all times. But these were still my rules and it was difficult to enforce consistent consequences because I knew that most of the time when students were breaking rules it was because there were things going on outside of the classroom.

About four years ago someone shared their class rule on Twitter. They took it directly from the Nordstrom employee handbook and it reads, "Use good judgement in all situations." It is so simple yet it covered everything. From that year forward instead of telling students what my rules were for our classroom we took time to discuss what good judgment looked like. I usually dedicated the first two full class periods to this activity because it was that important. During these two days it allowed me to get to know my students and begin to get an idea about what their experiences in school had been to that point. It was the first step in building relationships with my students.

Talking with my students instead of to them set a positive tone for the rest of year. When situations came up where I had to address behavior issues I was not bound by rules and a specific set of consequences. On the surface it might appear that applying the same consequences to each student is fair, but it isn't. By taking some time to visit privately with students I learned a great deal about what was going on with them. Just taking the time to talk to them was usually enough to show them that I cared. While I took the first two days to focus on expectations the discussion did not end there. We would revisit areas that needed improvement throughout the year. Sometimes we did this as a class and sometimes it was one-on-one, but it was always a discussion that allowed students to maintain
their dignity.

I will end this post with a challenge. Take down your rules and consequences that are plastered on your walls and replace them with the one rule about using good judgment. Invest time during the first week to establish a shared vision of expectations. If you really want to leave your students speechless then ask them what their expectations of you are. I can almost guarantee that no teacher has ever asked them that! Trust your students and get to know them. I promise that these two things will change their dynamics of your classroom and make it a much happier place for everyone.

My Addiction

My name is Beth Still and I have a confession to make. I am a junkie with an incredibly expensive addiction. Since 2008 I have been hooked on educational technology conference. During the last seven years I have been to at least 2 dozen international, state, and regional conferences. My husband knows the exact dollar amount this addiction of mine has cost us, but I'd much rather focus on what I have gained. 

I have established thousands of connections of connections with educators from across the globe. Nearly every idea I have had and every project I have come up with over the last seven years can be traced back to an interaction with someone in my personal learning network (PLN). I have been influenced by so many fantastic educators over the years. The people with whom I am connected have challenged me, supported me, and have had a hand in molding me into the educator that I am today. 

For years I have dreamed of bringing a team of passionate and dedicated educators together to share their expertise with teachers in western Nebraska. I wanted teachers from my region to get a taste of my addiction. Teachers and administrators from western Nebraska rarely go to events like ISTE, Educon, NETA, or Google Summits so I decided to bring an event to them. 

With the blessing of my superintendent, Bob Hastings, I began planning the summit last September. (Shout out to Doug Mader from WNCC for being so great to work with!)  I began recruiting presenters who had reputations for being the best in different areas and I bribed them with the promise of covering their travel expenses, good food, and even better company. Registration opened early in April and I held my breath and prayed that we will hit the minimum number of registrations needed to break even by the end of the school year. I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I knew we had enough people registered to move forward! 

There were over 100 attendees and 20 presenters who represented 26 different districts. Take a look at this map to see where they came from. I could not have been more pleased with how everything went. There are a few things with the schedule we will change for future summits, but overall I was thrilled with how smoothly things went. The best part of the two day event was watching participants as they learned new things and listening to the excitement in their voices as they talked about all of the new things they wanted to try. My proudest moment was listening to my good friend Steven Anderson deliver his keynote address. He touched on some sensitive issues and I know there was not a single person in the room that was not forced to reflect on how they teach. 

The most difficult part of attending a conference is keeping the momentum going once the school year begins. People left the summit excited, energized and ready to jump into new things. That same excitement and desire to change what I had been doing turned into an addiction for me. Once I attended my first ed tech conference and connected with an entire community of learners, my entire world was turned upside down. I did everything possible to support my addiction to learning. I went to as many face-to-face events as possible and in between those events I stayed connected through Twitter, Google+, and other social networks. 

I had two goals with this summit. The first was to give educators an opportunity to see what they can gain from being a connected educator. Teachers cannot rely on their school to provide them with the training and professional development they need to stay current. There are not enough hours in the day and the needs of teachers varies too much. Teachers (and administrators!) need to know where to go to learn. Building a PLN is an essential part of taking control of our learning. 

The other goal I had was to push attendees out of their comfort zones. I wanted them to be exposed to ideas that were unfamiliar because that is how we grow. When we are surrounded by people who do everything exactly like we do we stop growing and learning. It is easier to stick with what we are familiar with, but it probably isn't what is best for students. 

I certainly do not believe in changing just for the sake of change, but I do believe that we need to take time to reflect on why we do what we do in our classrooms. It is time we have the uncomfortable conversations about what good tech integration looks like, curriculum, pacing guides, differentiation, flipped learning, student choice, teacher autonomy, and all of the other topics we tend to avoid because we don't always agree on them. 

Perhaps western Nebraska is ready for an Edcamp? 

Follow Up to We Have to Stop Pretending

I'm thankful for the people in my personal learning network that challenge my thinking on a regular basis. One of the people who consistently pushes me is Scott McLeod. A couple of months ago he wrote a post about things we need to stop pretending in education. I was inspired to write my own post about five things we need to stop pretending. This post stuck with me and I have thought about it quite a bit over the last two months. I have thought about how powerful it would be if it was used to kick off the school year. Imagine the conversations that would take place and the possible changes that might happen!

A few weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to deliver the closing keynote at the TCEA Area 7 conference in White Oak, Texas. I have never done anything like this before and it quite possibly could be the last time I ever have an opportunity like this so I really want to knock it out of the park! After spending hours staring at a blank document trying to figure out what to talk about I realized this would be the perfect opportunity to explore some of the things I wish we would stop pretending. I will talk about some of the ideas from my original list as well as some ideas I have borrowed some other people.


Here are the thoughts of 135+ educators on this topic. I would like to share some of your thoughts on this topic when I speak in Texas. What are some things you think we need to stop pretending? Please share your thoughts on this padlet.

We Have to Stop Pretending---Beth's Take

CC license Jsnape

This morning I came across a post from Scott McLeod. In this post called We Have to Stop Pretending Scott lists five things we have to stop pretending.

Here is my take. We need to stop pretending......

• that we are communicating well. 
• that textbooks are the curriculum. 
• that what we did 30, 15, or even 5 years ago is good enough to teach students the skills they need to survive in the world they live in. 
• that technology is a distraction. 
• there is nothing wrong with remaining isolated. 

I'm tagging Shaelynn Farnsworth, Mickie Mueller, Amanda Dykes, Kristina Peters, and Tina Photakis.


What about you? What are five things you think we need to stop pretending? If you write a post please tag with #makeschoolsdifferent

Voice to Drive

Have you ever wished there was a super easy way to have students record a short verbal response and share it with you? Or have you ever wanted to send verbal instructions to your class but it was just too much of a hassle? There is an easy way to do this!

First you need to download a Chrome app called TwistedWave. Once you the app all you have to do is record your message then save it to Google Drive. In the free version your recordings are limited to 5 minutes each and a total of one hour of total recording time. Once you move your files over to Google you can change the privacy settings then share them or link to them. It is really that easy!

If you want to learn more about the technical side of editing audio clips you will want to read Richard Byrne's post on Twisted Wave and watch his tutorial video.

Trust, Permission, and The Need to Go Out and Do

I was a rule breaker growing up. I was one of those strong-willed individuals who was not afraid to push back and ask why things were the way they were. I was never afraid to do my own thing if I did not like what everyone else was doing. In my very first job interview the principal asked me what I would do if I had an idea to do something great for my students, but he brushed me off. I said I would ask a couple more times then if I still had no reply I would probably just go do it. I found out later on that answer is why I got the job.

My second teaching position was at a different school but under the same principal. I had complete autonomy over what I taught and how I assessed my students. The lack of structure in my school provided me with an unlimited amount of freedom to experiment and change what wasn't working. By "lack of structure" I mean that there was not a particular curriculum or course sequence that we followed. I was the only social studies teacher and I taught four different 9 week classes throughout the year. When I asked my principal which classes and topics I needed to teach his response was that I was the content area specialist and he trusted my judgement. The only mandate was that my lessons had to fit within the Nebraska Social Studies standards. Over time I realized that my principal really did trust me to make curricular decisions and that he respected my professional judgment.

Until I joined Twitter in 2008 and became a connected educator I had no idea that other teachers were not afforded the same respect. I assumed that all teachers had the ability to make professional decisions such as what resources to use and how to assess their students. It was not until I started having conversations with teachers from other places around the world that I realized that I was very lucky.

I have been part of the collective conversation we have been having for year about how "things need to change." Increased access to technology can be a game-changer, but only if teachers change how they approach teaching and how they assess learning. Remember when I said I was a rule breaker growing up? I don't have any research to back this up, but I would be willing to bet that the majority of teachers are rule-followers. They like the comfort and safety of doing things the way they have always done it. People don't typically voluntarily leave their comfort zones---especially people who do not usually enjoy taking risks.

The problem with this mentality is that the world has changed dramatically. The skills that we need today are not the same ones we needed 10 years ago. The way that we consume content has changed forever. If we want to learn something new we no longer have to rely on a teacher in order to learn it. I'm not saying that teachers no longer have a role in education. There will always be a need for teachers. What I'm trying to say is that the role of the teachers has changed dramatically. Those who have not changed how they deliver content and assess learning are doing a huge disservice to their students.

Students who graduate only knowing how to write research papers using information from trusted databases will never develop the skills they need in order to find and evaluate information on the web. Their peers who learned and developed these skills in school will have a huge advantage. Students who spend their days completing worksheet after worksheet will never learn how to make decisions, collaborate with others, think critically, evaluate information, or create projects that demonstrate their mastery of skills and knowledge.

I would like to share a TEDx video where my friend Karl Lindgren-Streicher discusses the role of teachers as change agents. If you are a teacher who is afraid to do something different and innovative because you are afraid of the potential consequences from your administrators then you need to watch this video. If you are an administrator who has the power to encourage teachers to kick the status quo square in the face then you need to watch this video as well. Like Karl says in his talk- plan on doing something every single day to fix education. Even if you are in the camp that doesn't believe education is broken there are always things we can do to give students more opportunities to make choices and to have their voices heard.

If you are a teacher or administrator who has already been doing what is best for students then KEEP DOING IT and share like crazy! I scour Twitter every day for examples to share with the teachers I work with. And please don't ever forget that something that is ordinary to you might be extraordinary to someone else.

Docs to Forms Add On

Google Forms are just starting to catch on in my district. I have worked with several teachers to show them how to create a quiz from scratch using Google Forms and so far they think it is a great alternative to what they had been doing. They love it even more when they discover they can use an add on called Flubaroo to automagically grade the quizzes and send students their results. More about that in another post.

If you are like many teachers you have tests and quizzes already created and stored on your computer. You could copy and paste each question and each answer, but that would be tedious and time consuming. A much better alternative is to use the Docs to Forms Add On. This nifty feature allows you to select text and click one button to move it into a form. Moving the answers is pretty easy as well. The video above will walk you through the process. I hope this helps you as you begin to explore more ways that Google can make your life easier!

Special #FF Special Request

This last year has been good to me. In three weeks I will celebrate the one year anniversary of accepting my current position. Being in a district where I can support teachers and students and help make a difference is truly more exciting than I ever imagined it could be. The other fantastic part of my year was attending the Google Teacher Academy back in December. Both of these experiences had a profound impact on me.

As part of the Google Teacher Academy I was required to develop a plan to do something great in my district. It was my 10x plan also known as my moonshot. My moonshot plan involved two distinct parts. The first part involved assembling a group of visionary teachers from across the district who were willing to reach out and connect with the other members of their group. (I call them the Moonshot cohort.) I have also asked them to dip their toes into the Twitter waters and get connected so they can get ideas about great lessons they can implement in their own classrooms. If each teacher in the Moonshot group does just one really amazing thing this year and it inspires just one other teacher to do something new and exciting eventually we will reach the tipping point and EVERYONE in my district will be inspired to try something new and exciting. 

The other part of my plan involves the administrators from my district. I am a firm believer that nothing will change in education unless administrators are out from leading their teachers in the direction they want them to go. Jessica Johnson wrote a post about the importance of being the lead learner where she explains how the role of the building principal has shifted. My ultimate goal is to get all of the principals in my district connected to other educators from outside of our district and to get them to contribute to a group leadership blog as a way to share what they are learning as well as a place to reflect. 

Now for my special request. Please make some room in your PLN to connect with my colleagues. Follow them. Tweet them. Encourage them. And please be patient and forgive them if they don't reply right away. A few of them are Twitter pros but others are just getting started. It takes a while to get Twitter and that the more we interact the more likely we are to realize the power of Twitter. Please help me give this fantastic group of educators a reason to stick around.  

Moonshot Teachers - On a List 

 

Jennifer Schwartz @schwartz0815

Fifth Grade Teacher and Co-Founder of Team Ashtyn Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers magical moments for families who have a child with cancer

 

Pearl Johnson @PearlPjohnson

Science teacher at Gering High School. Love the mountains, hiking, snowshoeing, and walking.

 

Brett Moser @bulldogscispot

Physical science teacher. Love teaching. Love science. Love life.

 

Stanna Funk @StannaFunk

I'm a 4th grade teacher who wants to help her students learn.

 

Angie Brester @angdawn456
4th grade teacher

 

Lisa Hadenfeldt @lhadenfeldt

English/journalism teacher at Gering Freshman Academy.

 

Mandy Hadenfeldt @mandy_proppaj
Middle school math teacher. 

 

tes25teach @tes25teach

Sixth grade teacher for Gering Public Schools. Coordinator of weekend backpack program--puppacks

 

Jessica Boswell @BoswellsAlgebra

Junior High Math Teacher and Gering High School Girls Golf Coach 

 

Allison Wagner @AllisonJwagner

I am a 6th grade teacher at Northfield Elementary. I love working with my students and witnessing their growth!

 

Jen Bohnsack @jjbohnsack

I teach Kindergarten and love my job. After 16 years, I want to make sure I am still innovative and student focused.

 

Tyler Thompson @TheOnlyThompson

Gentleman, conservative, political junkie, teacher, coach, avid Husker fan, and life-long Nebraskan.

 

Dail Eastman @DailSoule

I am a mom to a wonderful little boy and wife to a fabulous husband. I am an elementary teacher and love my job! I am passionate about technology!

 

Kelly Tofflemire @ktofflem

Husband, father of 4, elementary teacher, computer teacher, fan of football, toys, tech, and sci fi.

Moonshot Administrators - On a List 

1. Mary Kay Haun @mkhaun

   Elementary Principal at Gering Public Schools.Educator in Gering Public Schools for 36 years. Married to Allen and mother of Nicholas.
2.  

   Terri Martin @DirectorTerri

   Director. Educator. Mother. Grandma. Golfer. Kidney Transplant Recipient
3.  

   Dora Olivares @doramolivares
   Junior high principal.
4.  

   Shawn Seiler @SeilerShawn

   Life Long Educator and Learner, focused on bringing out the best in Teachers and Students!
5.  

   Kraig Weyrich @kweyrich1 
   Freshman Academy assistant principal. 
6.  

   Pam Barker @PamSBarker

   Lincoln Elementary Principal in Gering, Nebraska
7.  

   Bob Hastings @BasicBobH

   Husband of Traci. Dad of Jon, Jenna, and Jonah. Saved by His grace. Superintendent in Gering. Love my family, technology, the #Huskers & #Royals.
8.  

   Eldon Hubbard @ehubb54