Have I ghosted you?

It's been almost four months since I've posted on my blog, and I'm truly sorry if you, as my readers, have felt "ghosted".  However, I'm not apologizing for my brief blogging hiatus.  That may sound blunt, but it's my truth.  

Since this school year started, I simply have not had the time I had during the 2020-2021 school year to devote to consistently writing meaningful content for my blog.  So, I'm giving myself some grace, and I hope, if you're following along with me, that you will too.

During the 2020-2021 school year, I was working from home as an Educational Technology Specialist and Instructional Coach for the Professional Development department of my school district, which actually turned out to be pretty wonderful.  Because I wasn't spending an hour getting myself "ready" in the mornings to be presentable at an office, not commuting 40-45 minutes to work and back each day, and not driving around to school sites all over my district, I found myself with the glorious gift of time.

In addtion to starting and maintaining my blog, I found the time to get my Google Educator Level 1 and 2 certifications, as well as complete my Leading Edge Digital Educator certification via  #leadingedgeflex on the Alludo platform through RCOE. 

 

I was able to attend and present at virtual conferences, provide virtual professional development to teachers, curate a digital mountain of resources for educators, and effectively coach new teachers in the CTI program who were working towards clearing their credentials.  I was able to do my job well, pursue my own professional development, work on my passion projects, and even maintain somewhat of a consistent exercise routine without having the guilt of any of this taking precious time away from my family.  Although that year was awful for many, I found that working from home created a much needed balance in my life. 

Currently, I find myself craving that balance once again.

The 2021-2022 school year started for me at the end of July and August preparing teachers for back to in-person instruction.  After presenting at Google Camp, I jumped right in planning and facilitating the New Teacher Academy for our new teachers, attending curriculum and quality first instruction professional development and training, preparing for Lead Teacher meetings, and establishing coaching relationships with my CTI candidates.  In our little EdTech world during this time, one of the members of our trio accepted a job as a CTO at another district, so my partner Terri and I had to figure out our new "normal" without our admin.  

Then, because of COVID and teacher shortages, my other coaching colleagues and I were called to cover classrooms all over the district as substitute teachers during August and September.  With my new "subbing" schedule, I had to figure out ways to do all my "normal" job responsibilities in just two days out of each week, while subbing classrooms the remaining three days.   

In October, my job responsibilities changed once again.  Because of a variety of COVD related circumstances, our Independent Study program and our Academy of Innovation Online school systems became overwhelmed; so my colleagues and I were asked to switch from subbing classrooms to providing a temporary program option to students in our district who were transitioning from their home school sites to our online school.  These students are temporarily on independent study, but we are checking in with them daily and providing virtual support in all content areas each week until they transition either back to their home school site or fully to our Academy of Innovation online school.  Here's a peek at what this schedule looks like for us in just one grade level:

In between providing this virtual support to these students, my colleagues and I are doing our "normal" job responsibilities, and with our current enrollment numbers, it looks like we will be continuing to provide this temporary program option to students next semester as well.

All this to say, with my commute back in place and taking on additional "other duties as assigned" job responsibilities, I no longer have that gift of time on my side for this blog like I did before.  Something had to give, and unfortunately, it was this.  I do still plan to post here and there, but it will be inconsistent for the time being. 

Thanks to those of you who are following along and taking the time to read what I have to say on this platform.  It means a lot to me that you care enough about me to do so... 

Did you miss Google Camp?!?!

If you missed Google Camp, have no fear!  You can access all the keynotes, panel discussions, beginner strands, and breakout sessions for FREE by clicking HERE!  BONUS: All of last year's Google Camp resources are there as well!!!

There were over 630 Google Camp particpants this year and over 70 sessions were held and recorded!  The average session evaluation was a 9.3/10!

I had the privildege of speaking on the panel discussion on day 2 of Google Camp, so if you're interested in viewing that, you can access the video directly HERE.  I also delivered two breakout sessions on how to engage students in online academic discourse and the direct link to one of those sessions is HERE. 

Be sure to check out all the valuable resources that are housed on the Riverside County Google Camp Resources Page!

Google Camp 2021 is coming up!

The 6th annual Riverside County Google Camp is coming up again in two weeks - July 14th & 15th!  RCOE & Menifee USD are partnering together to bring teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches two full days of professional learning and collaboration in a completely virtual setting.  This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop your technological and pedagogical knowlege.  You can get an idea of what Google Camp is like by checking out all of last year's resources HERE.

In order to make the conference as accessible as possible, they are keeping the price at $49!  Any Riverside County educator can register on OMS HERE!   If you are an Hemet USD teacher, our district is covering your registration fee if you'd like to attend, just like they did last summer! Whoop, whoop!!! 

For anyone out there who may be still be teaching in an online and/or hybrid distance learning environment next year, I will be presenting in one of the breakout sessions with my EdTech Administrator, Derek, in a session called "Engaging Students in Online Synchronous Academic Discourse".  In our session, we'll discuss strategies and tools to help get your students "talking" in the virtual classroom.  The session will be geared more towards the secondary educator audience; however, the practices that will be discussed can be modified and adapted for lower grade levels. 

Also - some exciting news - on day two of Google Camp, I've been invited to be part of the panel that will speak at the opening session!!!  I'll be joining teachers, a counselor, a principal, and a technology director to speak about our experiences from this past year, what we've learned, and how we're moving forward post-pandemic.  I'm super humbled and grateful for this opportunity and would love to see you there! 

If you attend, be sure to tweet about your Google Camp experience using #ieGoogleCamp 

Teacher Takeaways from a Year of Online & Hybrid Learning Models

There is absolutely no doubt that March 2020 threw teachers (as well as every other aspect of our society) into a tailspin of pandemic pandemonium.  In the realm of public education specifically, the first few days weeks of the pandemic could only be described as utter chaos.  Educators and school and district leaders everywhere were scrambling to figure out how to continue to provide education to students without having many systems of support in place to do so.  But here’s the thing… WE DID IT! We pooled resources and expertise, got devices and Internet access into the hands of our students, increased our knowledge and skills to meet the new demands that were in front of us, and we accomplished much more this year than we ever could have imagined possible.  

Our district recently surveyed our lead teachers to find out what their takeaways were from a year of online and hybrid teaching and learning in the midst of the global pandemic.  Although the COVID-19 pandemic was absolutely awful in every sense of the word, our teachers found ways to persevere and they have such a promising outlook on the future and continuing to provide a high-quality public education experience to our students. 

I filled the image of the Coronavirus below with words that teachers used to describe their takeaways from the 2020-2021 school year.

Below I have summarized some of our teachers' takeaways from a year of implementing both fully online and hybrid learning models:

• Their biggest celebration was that they saw a massive increase in the technology skills of both themselves and their students.  Teachers and students rose to the challenges of online and hybrid learning and saw growth and increased comfort levels with using technology.

• Google Classroom (Learning Management System) was the number one tech tool that teachers said they would continue to utilize post-pandemic in grades 3 - 12, along with the Seesaw LMS in grades K-2. 

• Other valuable digital tools that teachers learned how to use and said that they would continue using post-pandemic were: 

• Screencastify (for teacher-created asynchronous video tutorials)

• Google Slides (not just for presenting material, but for living agendas and collaborative activities)

• GoGuardian (for monitoring students while they’re using their devices)

• Kami 

• Edpuzzle

• Jamboard

• Google Meet (not just for virtual teaching, but for offering parents a “virtual” conference option)

Teachers noted that they will definitely be reducing the amount of “paper and packets” they use in the future, and that they will be doing less lecturing and passive learning activities, less whole group instruction, and providing more collaboration opportunities for students because of the new tools they’ve learned to utilize!

• Another major takeaway from teachers was the critical need to prioritize essential learning for students.  Teachers were left with no choice this year but to “cut” what wasn't absolutely essential from their curriculum and intentionally focus on the most important concepts and skills that students needed.  They really began to distinguish between the “neat to know” versus the “need to know” material.  This has led to a more intentional focus on content scope and sequence development across our district with identifying essential standards and the curricular vehicles that teachers will be utilizing to drive home essential learning. 

• Many of our teachers also began to recognize this year, more so than ever, the need for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) support for our students. Because of the virtual environment this year, teachers in some cases were literally able to “see” into the lives of their students and became more acutely aware of the difficult circumstances and challenges that some of our students face. One teacher put it this way… “...knowing their challenges at home explains a lot of the challenges we see in the classroom.” Even through the screen, teachers recognize the importance of connection and building relationships with students.  

• Teachers noted the value of collaborating in strong teams.  During the isolation of the pandemic, they virtually collaborated to share resources and strategies, create lessons and activities, and develop common formative and summative assessments more so than ever, and they found that “We truly function better in collaboration rather than in isolation!”

• Teachers also recognized that we’re overdue in rethinking our homework and grading practices.  We must prioritize providing feedback to students, and really think about how we can align our grading practices systemically to equitably reflect student learning and mastery of standards.   

• Lead teacher advice from the survey: 

• Embrace flexibility and adaptability.  

• Keep a “life-long learner” attitude.

• Focus on literacy and essential learning in all content areas.

• Utilize technology and blended learning strategies to engage students in learning and provide students agency in their learning.

In summary, I’ll leave you with the words of resiliency from some of our teachers:

“I have learned how resilient I am as an educator…”

“We survived and flourished...we were forced to try new things and embraced it.”

“...anything is possible. Teaching online. Teaching hybrid. Teaching is teaching. We found a way...I know that I will find a way to reach and teach my students. I will still find a way to laugh with my kids, have a year full of silly memories, and that my kids love me and I love them. Teaching is teaching.  I am a teacher and I will always find a way.”

Google Slides Virtual Privilege Walk Activity

 

I was recently inspired to create a Virtual Privilege Walk Activity based on all the live "Privilege Walk" activities/exercises that are out there (sources linked within the Facilitator Instructions and at the bottom of this post)!  I synthesized information and ideas from multiple Privilege Walk lessons/activites/exercises, and developed a "virtual" version that can be used in the online setting (ie. Zoom, Google Meet, etc.).

"Understanding and acknowledging privilege is key to understanding why and how we react and perceive our surroundings." 

~ Peace Learner, Cultivating Peace & Nonviolence in the Field of Education

Even though this is not a perfect activity, the virtual privilege walk is a less confrontational way to discuss privilege and promote reflection among a group of people who are acquainted with one another and have some level of comfort and trust already established.  Because of the vulnerability of participants sharing and reflecting on their lived experiences, this activity should NOT be conducted among a group of strangers who are just meeting each other for the first time. 

This activity was designed to be facilitated in a virtual setting with older adolescents and/or an adult audience, and includes a free Google Doc Facilitator's Guide with forced-copy links to the free Google Slides Virtual Privilege Walk Activity and a free Google Form Participant Evaluation/Reflection so participants can reflect on their experience with the exercise.

If you download this free resource and are able to use it, I would appreciate it if you would:

1. Provide ratings & feedback on the product in my TPT store and 

2. Comment below on this blog post and let me know how it went with the group you chose to facilitate it with!

Thank you for taking the time to check out this team-building resource and for considering how you might use this to raise awareness of various forms of privilege and marginalization that exist in our society; help others understand the intersectionality of race, socioeconmic class, gender, and other demographic variables that shape us as individuals; and foster an appreciation of the diversity among us.

SOURCES:  This virtual privilege walk activity was adapted from the following sources: Privilege Walk Exercise, Privilege Walk Lesson Plan, Conducting a Privilege Walk, & Privilege Walk Workshop

Teacher Appreciation Week Google Slides Choice Board

 

Teacher appreciation week is coming up, May 3rd - May 7th, so to express my gratitude to all my educator colleagues for your dedication to the profession, I made a litte something for you using a template from SlidesGo!  

In this Google Slide Choice Board activity, I have provided some ideas for how your students might express their gratitude to a dedicated teacher of their choice! Here's a peek at what it looks like...

Click the images or the link above to get your copy of this free activity!  Edit or modify the slides based on your students' needs and the technology tools and programs that are available to them. 

Happy Teacher Appreciation week friends!  

#thankateacher

Infographic: Hybrid Habits

for a PDF Version of this infographic, click HERE

Sources:

Catlin Tucker's Blog

Corwin's "The Quick Guide to Simultaneous, Hybrid, & Blended Learning"

Rhode, Jason. "Roles & Responsibilites of the Online Instructor"

University of Michigan's LSA Technology Services, "Giving Ongoing Feedback to Online & Hybrid Students"

Infographic made with Canva. 

Infographic: Best Practices for Using Media in the Classroom

for a PDF of this Infographic, click HERE!

Sources:  

Teaching with Instructional Video  

Design of Video for Learning

Infographic created with Canva
 

Awe & Anticipation

Last week, Mrs. Lewen, a 6th grade teacher from Diamond Valley Middle School shared with me that the Hemet Women's Club had sponsored a writing contest for students at their school.  The students wrote poems and essays that were about COVID-19 and the 2020/21 school year.  The winners that were selected were 6th graders from Mrs. Lewen's class and 8th graders from Mr. Shelby's class.  

I was moved to tears by the words of some of the 6th and 8th grade contest winners as the gravity of the entire last year weighed heaviliy on my heart.  Through their words, I mentally relived the emotional turmoil that this virus has brought on our society, and became everso more aware of the impact that it has had on this generation of young people.  

Here are words of the Poetry Winners:

 

Here are the words of Essay Winners:

What I'm left with after reading their powerful words is awe and anticipation.  

I'm in awe of the resiliency and perseverance of our youth in the face of hardship, and I'm confident that because of what they've endured, their character has been strengthened.  

This reminds me of the scripture, Romans 5:3-4 which says, 

"...tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope..." 

I'm looking forward with hopeful anticipation to witnessing the greatness of this up and coming generation to which my own children belong.

Congratulations to the writing contest winners, and thank you to the Hemet Women's Club for sponsoring the contest and the guidance of the teachers that inspired the words of our youth.  

Good Friday - Be the Bridge

 

As an EdTech Coach, you may be wondering why many of my blog posts are connected to "equity" rather than "technology".  Full transparency... the deeper I go into this work now that I'm outside the four walls of my classroom, the more I uncover inequities that exist public education. What I'm finding has shaken me to my core.  I could just choose to ignore what I find and accept the status quo, but that's not who I am or who the Lord made me to be.  

On this Good Friday, I'm reflecting on the actions of Jesus and how he created a bridge to God for humanity by sacrificing his life.  I recently finished reading Latasha Morrison's book "Be the Bridge" and her poignant message at the end of her book I found to be spot on.  She says,

"Bridges are built not with passivity or avoidance but with the deep, hard work of seeking to understand.  The deep, hard work of fighting for justice for all.  Love is always a fight worth taking on. ... Jesus Christ showed us the way to love and live - and it was shocking: he chose to lay down his power and privilege and, in the end, his life for the good of others.  He isn't just our Savior; he is our example." (p. 220 - 221)

So, with inspiration from Latasha Morrison's book and also Glenn Singleton's book "Corageous Conversations About Race", I wrote a poem that I'd like to share with you.  As we approach Easter, I hope this poem serves as a reminder of where we have come from as a nation and how we can reconcile the sins of our past to create a better future.  We all have the opportunity to "Be the Bridge" for racial reconcilation in our schools, churches, and communities; I hope you'll join me in being a bridge builder.  

“Be the Bridge”

by Ashley Yazarlou
a poem inspired by the books Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison 
& Courageous Conversations About Race by Glenn Singleton

The corruption of our American nation began with invasion

otherwise known as Spanish exploration and European colonization. 

We stole land from the Natives and exiled them to reservations 

while dehumanizing African slaves in bondage on our plantations.

Then Lincoln set the slaves “free” through the Emancipation Proclamation 

but we condoned “lawful” oppression and the KKK’s lynching executions 

during 100 years of Jim Crow legislation which enforced segregation.

Then there was redlining subsidization from the Federal Housing Administration,

healthcare discrimination, voter suppression, and inequitable education 

even after the boycotts and the demonstrations of the Civil Rights declaration. 

Through 50 years of deportation, the “war on drugs” and mass incarceration

Black and brown communities have endured the agony of familial separation.

And our government can’t be bothered with restitutions or reparations?

We need to take the advice of Latasha Morrison 

and put our dedication towards healing and restoration.

Acknowledge the past and the scars left on our population, 

feel the pain of our violations through lamentation.

Stop the denial and rationalizations, and follow our convictions, 

confront the shame and guilt through repentance and confession. 

The sinful strife started from our very foundation 

so we can’t ignore the impact it’s had on generations.

Glenn Singleton says, “let’s have courageous conversations”

to put an end to racism and unjust systemizations.

We can Be the Bridge to racial reconciliation.

The Impact of Implicit Bias in the Classroom

 

from Colorlines & RaceForward

Educators, click the image above and take 7 minutes and 40 seconds to watch this video and listen to the voices of these young, black men talk about how they navigate implicit bias in the classroom.

*     *    *

This was recorded in 2014...

What has changed in your school/district since this was filmed? What remains the same?

My takeaways... kids want to be seen and heard for who they are rather than stereotyped or labeled... isn't that true of us all?

What can we do to be more aware of our own implicit bias and how it may impact our students so that we can ensure our students thrive?

I would love to see your reflections and takeaways in the comments below!