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Emmanuel Brings His Dream to CRE

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emmanuels-dream-cover-smallEmmanuel Ofosu Yeboah is a strong and dedicated man who has spent over a decade working to raise disability awareness in his home country of Ghana. Cumberland Road Elementary is an school committed to inclusivity and global connectedness. How the two came together in the space of one week is a story worth sharing!

Cumberland Road is embarking on its second year of an ‘all school read’. The book selected this year – to be incorporated across the curriculum in all grade levels – is Emmanuel’s Dream. Early last week, the One-Book-One-School team met to plan some kickoff activities for the program; through the Emmanuel’s Dream website they realized Emmanuel was in the process of biking from Dallas to Washington, D.C. And what’s more…as of last Wednesday he was in Ohio – only 1.5 hours away! The team contacted Emmanuel, who offered to bring his bike and road crew on a side visit to CRE!

fullsizeoutput_23bAs a result, last Friday saw a One-Book-One-School kick off like no other, when Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah himself road into CRE! Emmanuel shared his own story of hopping to school, obtaining his first bicycle, and riding across Ghana. After the CRE school day ended, Emmanuel many CRE students rode bicycles outside together! Emmanuel’s dream is to build an inclusive school in Ghana – one with strong academics, and with sport & adaptive therapy. As CRE students learn more about Emmanuel and Ghana this year, it will be exciting to see what dreams they dream to change the world!

Learn more about Emmanuel’s work towards disability awareness at the Emmanuel’s Dream website.

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Goodbye, Bulletin Board. Hello, Story Board!

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bulletinboardstory2In the last several years, we’ve done a lot of rethinking about classroom environments – and that includes hallways! Why is it that school bulletin boards of the past, while cutesy and colorful, often featured thirty examples of the same pumpkin cut out, valentine heart, or spring bunny? What drew educators to purchase and hang multiple “teacher store” posters with sayings like “Attitude Matters!” and “Do Your Best!”? We began to question…Could there be a better use for hallway walls,  prime visual venues that they are?

bulletinboardstory1As a result of our reimagining, today’s hallway walls are more story board than bulletin board; these storytelling spaces visually highlight personalized learning and classroom projects. The images shown here are photos are from Brooks School Elementary, where teachers recently gathered early one morning to share ideas and learn from Mrs. Porzuczek’s redesigned hallway space. Perusing these walls, it’s easy to get a sense of what this fourth grade learning community is all about, and of what their recent topics of study have been. QR Codes point to student created videos which explain projects more in depth.

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Launching INquiry Sparks Creativity

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Preparing to send our balloon to the Stratosphere!

A highlight of the summer for many HSE teachers was attending Launching INquiry, our Summer of eLearning Conference sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education. With two inspirational Keynote speakers, over eighty different breakout sessions, and time to collaborate with colleagues, participants  left with many new ideas to spark inquiry in their classrooms.

In addition to meaningful professional learning, two particular features helped make Launching INquiry 2016 a stand-out event:

Classroom Innovation Grants: Exhibitors contributed to a fund through which we were able to offer micro-grants to conference attendees. Thirty-four teachers and administrators submitted proposals, each one aimed at jump-starting inquiry with students in our schools. We would have loved to fund all thirty-four projects! In the end, available funds enabled five grants to be awarded. These are highlighted below.

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Parenting Digital Kids: In conjunction with our educator conference, HSE Schools hosted a learning experience for parents! Steve Garton, the Senior Manager of Learning Solutions at Common Sense Education, provided an insightful Keynote on our changing world and ramifications for teaching and learning in this new digital age. Other topics covered were screen time, safety and security, and social media. The evening was thought-provoking and informative for all!

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This Summer – To the Stratosphere We Go!

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Screen Shot 2016-05-27 at 3.14.29 PMHSE Schools will nearly touch the atmosphere’s edge as we partner with stratostar in july to launch a weather ballon to space – flight data will be visible in real time – and onboard cameras will give us a real bird’s eye view of the sky! This incredible experience…it’s all part of our summer conference! Read on…

 

It may be the last day of school here in Fishers, Indiana, but the learning isn’t over by a long shot! In addition to our catalog of professional learning opportunities for HSE faculty and staff this summer, HSE Schools is proud to present 

LAUNCHING INQUIRY
July 19-20

Follow the embedded links to learn more about this two-day event – it’s open to any educator with a passion to learn and innovate instruction for a new generation!

A Launching INquiry Parent Mini-Conference is in the works as well – the Launching INquiry website has all the information you need to register for both the teacher and parent sessions. Don’t miss out – register today!

Questions: sdrumm@hse.k12.in.us

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No Extra Credit If You Nuke!

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WIth our K-4 1:1 roll out on deck for August 2016, HSE21 Shorts has devoted much of this school year to sharing HSE21 snapshots from elementary classrooms. Today, though, we’d like to highlight HSE21 in action at HSE High School. Read on!

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Mr. Follis, AP Social Studies teacher at HSE High School, exemplified HSE21 before there ever was an HSE21. Mr. Follis is a natural communicator whose classes are student-centered, engaging, and relevant. He has found ways to create learning opportunities for his students that combine depth of content (AP exams are this month!) and meaningful experiences connecting the past to issues in our world today. His recent Cold War simulation is a perfect example.

IMG_3707Mr. Follis ran HSE’s Cold War as an in-school field trip for his AP European History classes.  Students represented the East (the Warsaw Pact), the West (NATO) or the United Nations.  All day, teams were confronted with real problems which they could choose to solve diplomatically or… Throughout the game, wars broke out, territories changed hands, and treaties were signed.  Newscasts, propaganda campaigns and the Olympic Games heightened excitement throughout the day. Nineteen-fifties technology meant no computers – files and books were the only sources of information available! Communication? Only through ambassadors, the red phone and one’s defcon status. (I had to Google ‘defcon‘.)

IMG_3711Of course, no Cold War simulation would be complete without spies and the threat of nuclear war. KGB and CIA leaders recruited spies, who could steal launch codes, locations of bases, troop numbers, and game stats.  Spies could be caught and tried…or flipped to become double agents. Each side had the potential to ‘nuke’ the other (Translation: force the other side to take the unit test); but nuclear war has consequences for all – a retaliatory strike could lead to mutually assured destruction! A ‘box’ (with electronics, sound effects, a red button, and two launch keys) made by HSE engineering students  sat ready throughout the day, an ominous reminder of what could be.

In ten years, these AP European History alums might not remember how to spell Romania. What they will still remember (really, what they will still deeply understand), though, is far more important. Why is it difficult for nations with conflicting values and visions to work together? What potential solutions exist, and what are their costs? What does that mean for us today?

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“The simulation was a smash.  The paranoia at times got the kids so worked up they were literally yelling – they were actually fatigued at the end of the day by the whole experience.  The whole game came down to a dice roll and it was possibly the most exciting moment of my teaching career.  No one asked for “the case”; the students realized the benefits of working together.”      – Jamie Follis

Design Team Take Aways

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As we debriefed with this year’s Elementary Design Team (see THIS POST for background), we were curious as to what surprised these teachers. Here is the question we posed, and here are some of their responses:

What is a major insight,  “aha” moment, or take-away from this year’s work?

Kids are capable of so much more than we believe.  Every day was an eye opener!  (Note: There were many, many variations of this comment.)

IMG_3485Don’t be scared to try something new. I learned the most when I completely invested into the SeeSaw program. It was a leap of faith to be completely on board, but I love it, my students love it, and my classroom has never been the same since.

Both kids and families have been positively involved in the online learning.

The students are very capable. The more freedom you give them, the more opportunity they have to surprise you!

IMG_3472Students are starting to realize that their classrooms are no longer four walls.  They are able to connect, learn, share, and integrate technology with classrooms from all over the world.  They are able to celebrate their differences and passions for learning at any given moment. They are the drivers for their educational journey. I am just a facilitator.

As educators we are able to connect their learning to the “real world” in a way that we never have before.  They are able to connect content to its use and intent in the real word, extend questions, and find answers in real-time.  This has propelled self-motivated learning in a powerful way.

Some pretty powerful take-aways! Are you surprised? Skeptical? As our district has adopted the use of iPads as learning tools over the past several years, we’ve learned that many  of our fears have simply become non-issues once we’ve gone 1:1. The kids have truly risen to our level of expectation. Aha moments indeed.

Design Team: Impact on Student Learning

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When the HSE Elementary Design Team met last week to reflect on their 1:1 iPad year [See yesterday’s post for the background] the first question on which they reflected was this:

Where did you see the biggest impact on student learning? 

Here are just a few of the responses:

“Students had ownership in their learning and were incredibly engaged.  Our year was filled with student-centered research, and my students’ reading levels skyrocketed.”

“Empowerment, connectedness, and independence where kids become natural problem solvers and take charge of their learning!  The confidence, passion, and engagement has been inspiring!”

‘Students are moving from participants in their learning to directors, facilitators, and encouragers of their own and their peers’ learning.”

“Students had more choice and ownership in their learning.  As the year progressed, I noticed students wanting to dig deeper and question things more because they knew their questions could be answered. Students became better problem solvers and gained responsibility.  I also believe student learning was enhanced because parents were much more connected and aware of how/what their children were learning in the classroom.”

“Student engagement was at an all-time high this year.  Students loved being able to make choices concerning their learning.”

Cognitive growth, student ownership of and initiative in learning, and deep thinking were themes for all! The technology didn’t transform student learning, but it did enable transformative teaching and learning! That fact is clear. More reflections to come…

The Elementary Design Team: A Transformative Year

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The HSE21 Elementary Design Team 2015-2016

In preparation for next year’s 1:1 roll-out in our twelve elementary schools, a year ago this month an invitation went out to all K-4 teachers to join the 2015-2016 Elementary Design Team. Twenty-three teachers from across the district were chosen to receive professional development during the summer and throughout the current school year.

The focus of their ongoing study has been how best to use technology as a powerful tool to support best-practice instruction.  These teachers have learned together, have shared their successes and failures, and have reflected on how to improve student learning, with the goal of providing insight and support for the roll-out coming in August 2016.  They have all led professional development in their buildings and at district events, and they are committed to working alongside their colleagues as mentors and guides next school year.

Last Thursday, the Design Team met for their final training this school year.  At the end of the day, we asked for them to reflect on what they’ve learned this year, and on how their students have grown.  In the next several days, HSE21 Shorts will be sharing these reflections — you’ll be amazed at the insights these teachers (and their students) have gained!  And, if this year has been any indication, next year’s most popular hashtags will be #transformativelearning and #studentcenteredinstruction!

Stay tuned!

Student Voice and…Money!?!

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This post comes to us from Kelly Hogan, second grade teacher at Durbin Elementary. It’s a great example of 21st century learning in action – Students were given voice and choice. They pooled their ideas and discussed options. They practiced creative decision planning. This ‘lesson’ was authentic and relevant – it’s never too early to learn to budget! #meaningfullearning

From Mrs. Hogan (3/25/16):

Our school’s student council planned a spirit day.  Students were allowed to wear their favorite college wear and bring a $1 donation.  Donations this month came right back to the classroom for supplies.  We raised $24 as a class.

I decided that the students should have a voice in what items were purchased.  Students started by creating a list of items that they were interested in purchasing with the money.  We then narrowed this list down by voting on which items we were most interested in.  Our list was down to 5 items at this time.  We then looked up a game we were interested in and learned that it would eat nearly all of our budget; they swiftly eliminated that from their list!  Groups of students took the remaining four items.  They “shopped” for the items online.  After some time they realized that shipping was going to eat a lot of their budget.  I shared that I was an Amazon Prime member and they determined that, even though their items may be a $1 or $2 more on Amazon,  the shipping costs elsewhere were more than that.  Each student group found an item to present to the class for purchasing.  Each student calculated the total cost of the 4 items.  They then determined the amount we needed to cut from our current wish list.  We were able to get our purchase to $0.21 under our budget!  They are INCREDIBLY excited for their purchases to arrive!

From Mrs. Hogan (3/28/16):

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Our purchases have arrived!

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Mechanical pencils for all!