You Matter! @AngelaMaiers

While on break between lunch and sessions, I decided to pull up some of my homework and this video came up again. You Matter by Angela Maiers was a moving TEDxTalk from a DesMoines event. I have heard Angela speak previously, but strictly about technology in education. It was great to see this and I hope to be able to use this in the near future in some way to facilitate an in-service session.

South Dakota Career and Technical Education Conference Opening Speaker

Good morning! Bright and early we headed out to the SDCTE Conference in Mitchell. A combination of High School and Post-Secondary Career and Technical Education teachers and administrators are joining here to review what is going on in South Dakota for Career and Technical Education teachers. I am glad that this conference is in the summer when teachers still have the time to tweak what is going on in the classroom, rather than at the end of the school year when change seems much more difficult to facilitate.

The opening speaker is Mark Taylor and he is facilitating multiple sessions today with the intent to talk about generational differences in the classroom and, subsequently, in the workplace. In his bio, he highlights that that there is "a serious mismatch between what they want expect from a school, and what we offer." He is a psychotherapist and a Baby Boomer with some great ideas.

A conversational presentation, Mark Taylor spoke lot about the value of each of the generations and his quick-witted humor was a breath of fresh air to start the morning. He spoke in Boston a few weeks ago and in Dublin, Ireland this summer as well, so he is not a stranger to speaking to large crowds like ours. Also, this may indicate that we are not the only people in this world that are concerned about the ability to teach the next generation.

As I am a GenXer myself, I sometimes think I may be able to relate a little bit more to some of the "under 26" population, but the lack of ability to self-motivate and the increased involvement of parents for the younger generation is something that I do not have first-hand knowledge. Mark Taylor referenced his article, "Helicopters, Snowplows and Bulldozers: Managing Students' Parents" and it is very telling of not only high school parents, but also post-secondary parents now. Parents do not only get in there to "helicopter" over what is going on, but also to "snowplow" (a reference really apt for South Dakota) and "bulldoze" obstacles out of the way! We all laughed about it, but it's hard not to think that perhaps we are guilty of it, too.

I really appreciated his comments about problem-based learning and how colleges are just not preparing students for the real world anymore. Technical colleges are really preparing students for the future and really preparing students for the workforce. These comments make me feel great about the move to Lake Area Technical Institute! I have readily admitted that I worry about being able to still be able to make a difference (yes, I still believe that I can do that in my life), but in reality, yes, I am going to be able to be a part of really helping prepare students for the real workforce and not just to continue to learn.

I linked some of his articles below as they are a great compliment to what he is saying. I can surely see myself referencing some of his articles in the future, so they are really here for me as a bookmark for future reference, but you surely could read them, too.

Teaching Gen NeXt
Teaching Generation NeXt: Leveraging Technology with Today’s Digital Learners
Meet the Parents: Managing for Student Success

I will surely be attending his future sessions today. Also, he brought up a new book that Howard Gardner and Katie Davis just completed titled "The App Generation" that I will be putting on my reading list. Howard Gardner is already famous for the multiple intelligence and learning style theories, but this is definitely showing that even one of the traditional pedagogical units of your teacher education block is now changing. Shifting paradigms... yes, the times they are 'a changing...

"The Times, They Are A Changin"

To borrow from good ol' Bob Dylan, the times, they are a changing here for me. I have moved from the Deuel School District. The experience to work in such a progressive school has shaped the way that I think about education, teaching and administration. Creative budgeting and progressive teaching strategies have kept this school at the forefront of education in the State and I'm glad that I was part of it.

Now, I am moving on to a new adventure at one of the TOP 4 Two-Year Schools in the Nation! At Lake Area Technical Institute, I get to be an Educational Technology Specialist and work with instructors to integrate technology into their already very successful classrooms and labs. I em excited for the challenge and I am excited for the change of pace! Lake Area Tech has also been named by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the Top Colleges to Work For for multiple years in a row! It doesn't get much better than that!

As all of this is happening, we are living in what will soon be a very critical time for many occupations in our country. We are already experiencing workforce shortages across the State in many different areas. For example, I toured the amazing Electronics/ Robotics classrooms this week at LATI and the Department Head/ Instructor said that he had employers contact him with over 150 job openings and he only had 9 graduates from his program last year! The job openings range from local South Dakota jobs to opportunities across the Midwest. LATI's Aspen Institute Awards have really opened up opportunities for graduates, too!

This is the picture of his "jobs" board in the classroom. I should have taken a picture of all of the amazing projects he has going on in the classroom, too. He has everything from educational robots to industry-grade robotics in this classroom. Wow! He is also going to do a "Community U" program this year so that anybody can build their own 3D Printer. I definitely plan on working that into my schedule as that is some of the coolest technology I have ever seen! 

Back to the Changing Times... well, as I move out of K-12 education, I think I will miss a lot of things, but most of all I will miss the kids. Getting to know the kids and helping them decide on careers and post-secondary choices was the best opportunity I could have had to know first hand how the world we live in is changing. I would like to say I'd do it differently if I was a 2014 High School graduate, but I don't think I would. Education is where I am supposed to be, how that career shapes is yet to be seen. I can't wait to see where this opportunity at LATI will take me! 

Digital Footprint @TIE Conference 2014

Happy TIE Conference 2014, everybody! Here are the materials for the presentation, "Understanding and Creating a Positive Digital Footprint". The presentation is in the Sioux Falls Convention Center on Monday at 10:55 am in Rooms 11 and 12. Hope to see you there and have a great day!




Digital Citizenship Resources for your Classroom: 
YouTube/ Google Digital Citizenship Curriculum
*Curriculum Guide for YouTube/ Google Digital Citizenship Curriculum
FTC Materials
FTC Materials Paper Order *FREE
Internet Society Tutorials
Common Sense Media Curriculum 
Google Digital Citizenship Resources (select option)
Facing the Consequences Video
Cable in the Classroom Digital Citizenship Resources
NetSmartz
PBS Resources for Keeping Kids Safe Online
Stay Safe Online Resouces
Take This Lollipop 
Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship

Digital Copyright Resources:
Microsoft's Digital Citizenship and Creative Content Units
Understanding Copyright Video
Interactive Copyright Page