The Principal Blog

NAESP Spring Conferece - Here we come!

2012-03-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

Just downloaded the 60 page final program from the NAESP website to my iPad. I have 2 1/2 weeks to look this over and make notes in iAnnotatePDF App. This will be my first NAESP conference and I have to say I am excited and reserved about the whole experience. Lord knows I don't need to bring back any more work for my teachers! My teachers will hope for a snow storm so I can't go:)

So, I need to go with the perspective of learning what I can do to sustain improvement and help them work smarter not harder. If you are building principal and you cannot find an "initiative" to meet one of your bazillion school needs then you must have your head in the ground. But..... in today's environment, if you bring one more thing into your school....you better find one - five things you can do away with.

So here is to #NAESP12 and my travels with Mrs. Crighton-Smith and Dr. Bishop to Seattle, WA!!!

2012 NAESP Conference Program Book

Part 2 - The Myth of Paperlessness cont'd

2012-02-26T14:03:00.000-06:00

It has been a month since I went back to the "binder method" of organization. So far so good. I have the right paperwork in the binder. Things I refer to regularly are in the right place now. I choose the binder because I don't have room for this:

Below are screenshots of the notes apps that I have on my iPad and iPhone.

iPad first....

Notes, that came with iPad is now my go to app. I have sync'd both iPhone and iPad Notes in the cloud so I have all my notes on both devices. I can email my notes to Evernote or anyone else for that matter.

Noteshelf is still my favorite because I can customize the entire notebook. Customized paper and customized cover. The problem was that I was so obsessed with the "cute factor" I can't find anything in my notebooks. (You can also export these notes to Evernote.)

Evernote is my file cabinet. It is an icon of it's own on my dock. You can see it in the bottom left had corner. Be sure you follow @evernoteschools.

As you can see I have a ridiculous amount of notebooks.

iPhone Notes Apps:

Again, I have started using the Notes app that was already on the phone. However, I did download some "handwriting" apps just because they looked fun. I am just not fast enough to take notes on these devices when things happen so quickly in my job.

It is also socially awkward to whip out your phone in the middle of a conversation and start typing notes. It could appear that you are texting or answering texts messages. So I always say that I am going to take notes on my phone before I start.

Still more to do:

I would like to go through and scan all the binders I have kept over the years and free up some office space.
There are two very big file cabinets in my office that need to be scanned.

Fabulous February Grand Finale - QR Code Scavenger Hunt

2012-02-24T13:24:00.000-06:00

Fabulous February has become a tradition at a few elementary buildings in my district. So far this year:

Feb. 3rd = "Souper" Bowl: Teachers brought in soup and all the fixings for lunch
Feb. 10th = Secret Pal Week
Feb. 17th = Bargain Hunting: Each teacher was given $1 and had to find the best bargain over their lunch break.(It was a PD day.) I highly recommend this one! Hilarious
Feb. 24th = QR Code Scavenger Hunt: (See below)

This took me about 1 hour to make and my school nurse helped. So it wasn't a hard activity to plan. Below is the scavenger hunt directions and some pictures to help see how this worked in case you would like to try it.

QR Code Scavenger Hunt

Spring Cleaning - Unsubscribe Week

2012-02-24T10:49:00.000-06:00

Unsubscribing to email lists has actually taken me TWO weeks instead of the original one week I had scheduled.

In 2010 I attended the Google Teacher Academy and I believe it was Kern Kelly that talked about taking the time to unsubscribe from email lists. So in April of 2010 I had my first email "Spring Cleaning." Two years later I am at it again.
My email is FULL of email that I cannot remember if I signed up for or not. So for the last two weeks I have opened all the email that I get regularly and do not read, scrolled to bottom of the email, and followed the "unsubscribe" directions or links. One week was all I hope this would take but now it is the end of the 2nd week. Errrr!!!!

Reflection:

I will quit subscribing to ANYTHING! I just don't have time even when it looks like a great subscription.
So far, I have not been tricked by spam into clicking on a link to take me somewhere to get spammed.
I am almost to a point of marking some of it spam just so I don't have to take the time to scroll to the bottom and interpret how these companies want me to "unsubscribe."
BTW - It is not usually the sending company that sends the email. They have contracted out to a host and give my email to a business that blasts emails as their job.
2 weeks of this is about all I can take. I'll "spring clean" again next year.

Image Credit

SW MAESP Meeting Reminder

2012-02-17T13:02:00.000-06:00

This post is to remind you about our upcoming meeting on Tuesday Feb. 21st. It's not too late to sign up! Please scroll down to the post before this one and sign up that you will be attending. I have also posted a link to a Google map with directions to Willard East.
Lifetouch will be providing a light snack.

Agenda update:
1:00-1:30: General Business
1:30-2:00: Lifetouch Memory Mission Presentation - Dr. Bishop
2:00-2:15: OERI "Road to 1:1" Update: Dr. Kent Medlin
2:15-3:00: iPads in Administration

Evernote
Creating video
Daily Notes
eWalk

You will be able to hook your iPad up to the projector and showcase any app that you would like.

SEE YOU TUESDAY!!

Click here for directions to Willard East

SW MAESP Meeting Feb. 21st

2012-01-31T13:37:00.000-06:00

By now most of you should have received an email from Toni inviting you to our Spring SW meeting at Willard East Elementary. Below are some preliminary details, RSVP form and a call for HELP!!!

When: Tuesday February 21st 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Who: ALL SW MAESP Members
Where: Willard East Elementary, Willard, MO

Tentative Agenda: (Subject to change if necessary)
1:00-1:30: Business Items/Updates
1:30-2:00: Lifetouch Memory Mission Presentation by Rhonda Bishop
2:00-3:00: Administrators Using Mobile Devices (Sign up to share below)

Lifetouch will be providing afternoon snacks!

Help needed!!! There is a place on the RSVP for you to submit a tool, app, program, etc. that you would be willing to share with the group. The mobile app that I have chosen to share is Evernote. There are TONS of other things you may be using that could benefit your fellow administrators and we would love for you to share.

Loading...

The Myth of Paperlessness - Part 1

2012-01-29T18:23:00.000-06:00

After at least 3 years of trying to go paperless, I am throwing in the towel. Well sort of. I think I have tried ALL the "notes" apps for the iPad and can never remember if I saved something in a notes app, Evernote, or Google docs. In my fast-paced work and personal life I need to be able to find things quickly and I appear unorganized when I start clicking through apps to find something. I can also write something down faster than I can open an app, title it, and enter something. So I have settled on a few "apps" and tools.........

First the 3-ring binder is back! Don't freak out, I still use the ipad and my iphone for note-taking etc.

Back to the binder! This is probably shocking but there are just some things in paper form that I need access to ALL THE TIME and quickly.

I just went back to the binder last week so I will be tweaking what I keep in it.

Daily Documention = My arm is covering up my daily calendar print out where I keep all my daily documentation.

Misc. = "Inbox" of papers that come in all day. Emptied every Friday.
Staff List = Copies of the staff list to use a check off for various staff assignments. About 10 copies here.
PTO = Upcoming flyer copies from last year that I will recreate for this year.
Monday Early-outs = My schedule of meetings for Mondays. 2nd semester at a glance.
90/90/90 Study = We reference this at various meetings
Behavior Support = Packet I gave staff at beginning of year.
Summative Evaluation = To reference when needed. It's new this year so I need to be able to look at it frequently.

(Sidebar - I bedazzled my binder too:) Since I never have time for scrapbooking at least I can personalize my binder:))

iPad 3-ring binder cover - Fits in my iPad in my binder:)

This post is titled "Part 1" because there is actually more to the story and I hope to eventually post the rest:) All the "notes" apps should be Part 2.

Evernote Still a Favorite

2012-01-09T21:48:00.000-06:00

Many blog posts I come across this time of year have to do with setting New Year's Resolutions. One of the number one resolutions that comes up over and over is to be more organized. There is the visual organization of my office appearance. Then there is the paper clutter organization. I solved the "visual" organization the past two days by putting all my crap in the office next to mine. My office looks great but know I have to organize the other room too!

For paper organization Evernote still remains one of my all time favorites. It has been around for a while and I have tried other systems, apps, software, etc. But I always come back to Evernote. My current uses for Evernote are as follows:

Using my Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner to scan in all lose papers. Small stacks of 8-10 sheets.
The big printer in the office can "scan to email" so I have my evernote email with the contacts of the office printer and can scan larger stacks of paper through that printer. (Exception: The office copier does not scan 2-sided like the ScanSnap. Can only scan to email one sided documents.)
Random notes: I have 2 monitors and Evernote is always open on my 2nd monitor in case I want to add a quick note (has to be important info that I know I will want come back to)
Searching for documents: The "search" component of Evernote is very precise. See below: (This is an anchor chart with "reading" written on a post-it note. I searched for the word "reading" and 132 of my "notes" had that word:)

Taking pictures of anything with words that I may want to recreate or share with teachers.

How do you use Evernote?

2011-12-31T13:09:00.000-06:00

Below is a post I shared on my staff blog for my teachers. I have found the shorter the better even though there is so much to say about Pinteret or any other topic I bring up:):)

Hopefully you are enjoying your time off! Due to all the traveling we have been doing I have extra time to be on my phone, ipad, or computer in the car.(When I am not driving of course!:) Most of you have heard of or mentioned Pinterest but if you have not taken full advantage of it I might suggest that you take a second look.

Matt showed me Pinterest a couple months ago and it became my new late night "hobby." Meaning whenever I was putting my kids to bed I was on Pinterest:) Below is a screen capture of some my "boards" (like a bulletin board of my favorite stuff.)You will notice that there are both personal and professional "pins." Don't look too close or some of the ideas I have for you guys wont be a surprise:):)

It is exciting to see how many teachers share their ideas with the world through personal blogs and websites. Some teachers put all their lessons, pictures of their classrooms, crafts, organizational tips out there for everyone to see! Any one of you could share all your ideas with the world too.

Well, if you have time to explore I suggest exploring Pinterest!!!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Christmas break!!!
See you soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-12-24T22:56:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas! This is the 1st Christmas my little brother gets to spend Christmas with Jesus. Wanna know what it's like...... See below

My First Christmas in Heaven
I see the countless
Christmas trees
around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,
reflecting on the snow

The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,
the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description,
to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,
from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold.
was always most important
the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other,
my Father said to do.
I can't count the blessing or love
has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and
Wipe away that tear
Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011 Christmas Read Aloud

2011-12-17T14:10:00.001-06:00

This year I will be reading The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher to all classrooms. Treat will be cookie with sprinkles:)

Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Golden GermX Award

2011-10-27T17:33:00.000-06:00

October can be a long month for teachers. The honeymoon period for behavior is over and the kids are restless. Then there are P/T Conferences and Fall Parties AND the time change.

Sooooooooo.....to liven things up a little bit my counselor and I came up with some "fun" awards/recognition "tropies" to be passed around the building on a weekly basis.

The Schmop: This is along story but this is the mother of all awards! I can be for good or bad or fun or whatever. Currently my speech teachers holds onto the Schmop because her father died last week.

This is a real feather duster with a construction paper face that was give to me as a joke and I am paying it forward:)

The Golden GermX Award: Originally this was going to be painted gold and/or wrapped in gold and put on a gold pedastal but the green plaster really made the award. Currently a 4th grade teacher hold this award because she got sick and had to be taken home by the counselor and puked in the counselor's car:)

Suck-it-up: You know how there are times we just need to suck it up??? Currently a 1st grade teacher holds this award for complaining about something. Turns out she was going to Las Vegas for the weekend and we told her to suck-it-up.

Bright Idea Award: Again this can be for any type of idea good or bad. Right now our counselor is in possesion of this award for coming up with all the award ideas:)

You are welcome to borrow our ideas or share some of your fun awards that we can borrow! Happy October!!!

Joplin MAESP Meeting November 9th

2011-10-24T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hello Southwest MAESP Members!

As we gear up for our annual Fall Meeting we need some information from you. The plan for the meeting is explained below:

When: November 9th 12:00
Who: SW MAESP Members
Where: Joplin -(Location to be determined)
Presentation : Joplin Principals
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Presentation

Since our meeting will be held in Joplin this year we are anticipating a BIG turnout. In order to accommodate all who plan to attend we need you to fill out the RSVP posted below. Lifetouch will be sponsoring lunch so we need an accurate count. The RSVP will be printed so we can check off those who are attending for lunch.

WE NEED YOUR RSVP, ASAP!!! Please respond by THIS Friday October 28th!
Once we know how many will be attending we will be able to select a venue for the meeting. More information to come next week!

Loading...

Willard Teacher Designs and Uses Own iPod Apps

2011-10-07T11:54:00.006-06:00

MAESP SW Sub D October Meeting

2011-10-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

Hello SW Sub D Elementary Principals! Hopefully your year is off to a great start! We need to get together to share ideas and solve all the problems of the world.

Last year we scheduled a couple of meetings. One meeting had to be canceled due to weather and I don't think I ever rescheduled. I don't want that to happen again so I am reading to get started planning some of our meetings.

2011-2012 Kick Off Meeting!

When: Monday October 10th 1:00PM (You can still fit in lunch doodie:)
Where: Ebbit's Field S. Glenstone
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 or 3:00ish
Topic: Choose a candidate for SW Distinguished Principal, Membership ideas, Round table discussion regarding any issues you need help with, Schedule meetings for remainder of year and topics

Please fill out the form below so I know how many to include in our reservation at Ebbit's Field.
Looking forward to seeing all of you!
Melinda

Loading...

Memorializing a Facebook Page

2011-09-24T10:54:00.000-06:00

Did you know that you could memorialize a loved ones Facebook page after they pass away? Unfortunately I had to learn about this 2 weeks ago when my little brother Keith Allen was killed in a motorcycle accident at the young age of 34. It is a sad and tragic story but his life can live on SAFELY through Facebook.

Below is a link to an article about how to request that a Facebook page be memorialized. Before you do this you need to be aware of a couple things that I didn't realize until AFTER the page was put in memorial status.
How to memorialize a Facebook page

If you have your loved ones login information you may not need to memorialize the page. If you can login and make changes then you can change/privatize any information you need to.
If you are not able to login to the page Facebook will not supply you with the login information even if you are immediate family. (I am actually okay with this right now. I might change my mind in the future.)
The person will no longer show up in your "friends" list.
You will not be able to "tag" photos. (This is good and bad as we still have friends who have photos they would like to share with us. I asked that they "tag" my mom and dad's pages.
Only confirmed friends will be able to search for Keith and find his page.
All his "information" and friends list has been deleted from his information page.
I did post on his page that I was going to be doing this but I should have posted it in advance of doing it so everyone was prepared. It was a little fast.
I sent a link to a newspaper article that confirmed his death. I am also certain that when they viewed his page and saw all the memorials they new he had passed away.

I recommended that you do this within a month or two of your loved ones death but not right away. You might contact me through this blog before doing this so I can share my experience with you.

Back to School Teacher Packet 2011

2011-07-27T11:46:00.001-06:00

Below is the copy of the back to school teacher packet I sent this year. Feel free to duplicate as needed!!!

Teacher Back to School 2011

Student "Check In, Check Out" System - for Behavior

2011-07-09T14:46:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if you have one (or two, or five, or 10) of those students who need just a little extra adult attention feedback? This is what we tried at the end of this year and it was AMAZING!

"Check In/Check Out" is an idea we borrowed from Esther Elementary in Lebanon, MO. The idea is that some students benefit from starting and ending their day with a special adult to set goals and receive feedback.

Here is how this worked with a student that I worked with. (It seemed to work best when the child was paired with a staff memeber he/she had a strong relationship with.)

Morning time: (Whatever time works best for you.) Student meets with his/her adult and plans for a successful day using the daily behavior chart. (You might consider something more simple that what you see in the next picture. This is too much and we are tweaking.)

This is completely customizeable as well. But hopefully you get the picture.

The "Triage Questions" were the key. What conversation do you need to have with your student in the morning? The questions can be whatever behaviors you are working on with your assigned student. These were compatible to my student.

Points vs. Percentage: We ended up just doing % because the points were obnoxious as you can see. We will change this part of our form to equal only % I think. So this student's goal was 90% per day and he met it most of the time as you will see in the next picture. We really had to talk through the days he didn't meet is goal. It took him a few times to realize it was okay and that the next day was a new day.

Consistency: We have a bazillion different behavior charts floating around our building. This is GREAT for the teachers but when a team comes together for intervention on a student it takes 15 min. to interpret and understand the behavior charts. We would like ONE consistent chart and this was our first try.

End of the Day: My student looked forward to this part of the day! He calculated his own percent using the BIG calculator on my iPad. After he met his goal for so many days we would spin the "prize wheel." We kept track of the prizes he won at the top of the day he spun. (Hard to see on the chart.) If he spun the same thing twice, he could keep that item or spin again. His choice.

We will make some changes in our system for next year but this is a system that is worth keeping!

Worth knowing: This student really needed a positive adult relationship. ALL the adults in his life had failed him up to this point and he needed some consistency. He was a 2nd grader. He and I had built a pretty good relationship in a short time and he got over the fact that I was the Principal too. He had to come to my office to cool down a few times but he recovered and went about his day.

Me So Forty....and Getting Healthy

2011-07-02T12:12:00.000-06:00

Some of you are handling your milestone birthday a bit better than I am. So I thought would share all the Apps, gadgets, crazy things I am doing to deal with this once in a lifetime event.......

Getting in shape!
It appears that my HS friends and some online friends are running marathons and/or doing triathlons. I think I will just stick to getting healthy and back into decent shape first.

Tried RunKeeper. Couldn't get it set up the way I want and not very motivating when the "voice" repeats "zero distance" and a "10 hr pace." While I work on getting that set up correctly I am revisiting Couch-to-5K.

iTunes Playlist: Working on my playlist for working out. Got the timing of the songs down but now have to work on the order of songs.

Eating Healthy:
Re-stalled "Lose-it" to log what I eat. So far so good but I need to find a "friend" to hold me accountable. I stress eat and consume way too much Starbucks. Trying to make adjustments so I don't have to give up Starbucks.

Menu Planner give me the option to plan my meals. This has come in handy in the past but having a visible menu posted on the fridge works better for us. Going to go back to this. Lose-it might have a menu options that I will have to look into also.

Movivation:
My 40th birthday would have to be the ultimate motivation. In order to make a little bit more fun I am using iRewardChart do keep track of work-out days and Wheel of Friends to spin for my treat for working so hard:) Ah, you laugh but isn't that what we do for kids:):):) (Tune in for a post on how to use "Wheel of Friends" at school.)

Accountability:
Let's try 4-Square for accountability:)

Schools In Need: Joplin, MO and Minot, ND

2011-06-30T12:47:00.000-06:00

Imagine the school, classroom, home you live or work in be completely obliterated by a tornado. If you can't image that try to vision your school completely submerged in river water. Below are links to both schools and information how you can help.

Joplin Schools - Bright Futures
Joplin Schools on Facebook

Minot Schools

Oh....And this too.

2011-06-29T08:28:00.000-06:00

The Write Tools

My summer reading list is a long as everyone else's. This was added to my reading list after having lunch with @dlegore a couple weeks ago. She attended the 90/90/90 conference in St. Louis and this was promoted by the Leadership and Learning Center.

Last year we focused a lot on writing as a school and as a district. My teachers began collaborative scoring for the first time and found success. Writing is hard and TEACHING writing is even harder. How many of us are comfortable with our own writing skills? I try to keep up this blog but I am still insecure about my own writing skills. This blog is meant to be helpful to other principals and if I can do that....my writing is successful.
You should try it:)

Oh and here is what is on my Kindle: (The books say "new" because I upgraded to the iPad 2 and had to reload my Kindle books.)

Surprising! Leading My Staff in the Summer

2011-06-28T12:39:00.001-06:00

You would think that as social networking, blogging, twittering savvy as I think I am that I would have used my staff blog for more PD in the past? Nope. Just posted info and directives until this summer........

Secret Info: I have a blog that is specific to my teachers that I do not publicize. Some of you might have found it or I shared it with you because you requested it. Otherwise it is the blog that replaced my "paper memos" and sometimes email.

The usual information:

This is it! The final count down! Hopefully I won’t forget too many things but here is a start……
East Staff Celebration – Friday after the district-wide picnic we will meet back at East at 3:00 for a brief end of the year “get together.” Originally I was going to announce Teacher of the Year and Staff member of the year tonight after school but I will do that briefly when we pass the Schmop tonight. I also want to recognize these people at Tiger Pride so I thought we should announce it among ourselves first.
District Picnic – Friday after the students leave please make your way over to the HS for the annual picnic. We will lock the doors from 1:00 until after the picnic.
Tutoring hours to Nikki - This is just a reminder to turn in any tutoring hours before or after school to Nikki. We can count these hours towards our attendance and get monetary credit for them.
Inventory – Please include your iPad on your inventory. Under cost I would put $600
Cleaning your room for summer – Remember that we are having summer school. ANYTHING that you do not want used, lost, or broken is to be taken home. I would recommend that you use bulletin board paper to cover things you do not want used. You might also consider boxing things up and taping them. The teachers will be sitting at your desk so you may want to clean out your desk drawers as well. Make sure all plants and food items go home with you. Any food or candy you have stashed needs to taken home or eaten:)
Exit Conferences vs. Check out forms -
Exit conference
= a conversation between us about how the year went and a look at next year. If you change your time after tomorrow morning you will need to tell me because I will make a copy of the schedule at 7:45. Betty will call you if you forget your time.
Check out forms
– Before you can turn in your check out form Betty, Nikki, or I will need to go over you list to make sure everything is turned in. Make sure you go over that list thoroughly this week.
PTO Meeting - You are invited to tomorrow night’s PTO meeting! If you have not been to a PTO meeting I think it would give you an excellent perspective from the parent point of view for WE. You can also log this on your end of the year hours. At this time we will not have a teacher representative at this meeting. It is very important the you have a voice and you can also hear/see where the parents are coming from.
Last Day to work in the building = Tuesday May 31st! We will start preparing for Summer School on Wednesday. If you are teaching summer school you have an indefinite amount of work time until the end of June:):):)
That’s all folks! For now!

New and improved summer learning information:

What are your plans for the First Days of School? How do you establish routines? Do you explain your expectations clearly?
To find the answers to these questions you might consider digging out your copy or find a copy ofHarry Wong’s book The First Days of School. (We have some copies at school and I believe I have/had a copy in my office.) You might not even need a copy if you refer to this website. I came across a link to the “Implementation Guide” for Wong’s book and it is a great resources.
Since we will be focusing a lot of our attention on consistent expectations, routines, and procedures you might find this resource very helpful.
Extra Link: Random Daily 5 websiteI also came across this link to a Daily 5 website with pictures and everything. I am finding that I love websites with pictures because it is easier to understand what the teacher is explaining.
Let me know what you think!

No More Boring Meetings!

2011-06-27T12:28:00.000-06:00

In an effort to improve the format of my "meetings" in general I ordered Kagan's Cooperative Meetings gigantic manual. Then I scanned it to pdf, emailed it to myself and uploaded it to GoodReaders on my ipad! Like I am going to carry around a 10 lb. binder all summer? Um....No.

You know all that required info we have to share our staff that is the sit-n-get kind? Not any more! Well I hope not:) I will use my handbook/faculty meeting cliff notes as my "content" and deliver it with Kagan structures. Then have my teachers process how they can use these structures in the classroom!

Wanna try it with me? Of course I have grandiose ideas and hope they turn out. Consider this modeling risk-taking disguised as instructional strategies or visa versa:)

Disclaimer: I am not blazing the trails of another initiative in my building. Lord knows we have enough of those. But I am hoping they can take some of the structures back to use in their classrooms to increase student engagement.

Study Island Student Interviews

2011-03-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

Podcasting with iPadio

2011-03-11T16:36:00.000-06:00

This weekend I will be doing a presentation on podcasting with another Missouri principal. Dr. Tim Gallaghar is a Middle school principal from Fort Osage, MO and regularly podcasts with his students. Scott Elias and I used to podcast at Practical Principals and hope to return to podcasting when he completes is doctorate degree and our lives slow down again. In other words..........a long time from now:)

iPadio was introduced to me at FETC. Once you set up your iPadio channel you can simply phone-in a podcast. You are given phone number and password and you simply make the call.

Faculty Feud for Project Graduation

2011-03-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

Last night our Faculty took on our rival school faculty in a volleyball game and basketball game. Three teachers from my building played on the volleyball team so we thought it would be fun to go "cheer/jeer" at them:) Republic and Willard Project Graduation split the proceeds and it was a great time. Willard won 2 out of 3 for the volleyball title but my family didn't stay long enough too see who won the basketball game.

Free scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Using Twitter for Customer Service

2011-02-19T09:38:00.000-06:00

Twitter is useful for a lot of reasons and one reason could be customer service. I try not to "call businesses out" on Twitter because I don't want one experience to blow it for a company. So many things go "viral" that you could destroy someone or something by posting something online. Having said all of that....I did resort to twitter to get the attention of one company.

At FETC I signed up for a Square Reader to try out with our PTO. If we could accept credit cards for PTO fundraisers etc. we might be able to increase our fundraising. So I signed up on Feb. 1st and expected my reader within the week. Well, bring on "Snowmaggedon 2011." I assumed it didn't come because of the weather so I gave them the benefit of doubt. It's been 3 weeks.

The Square website was loading very slowing at school and that could have been a school issue and not a Square issue. After waiting 10 min to try to figure out how to contact them I resorted to twitter.

Well they got right back to me! I expect to receive my reader next week and I'll let you know when it comes.

The email was very nice and apologetic. Some of your experiences might not match this one. Twitter has a been used to bash service but in this instance it was the only way I could contact them based on the speed of my internet connection.

Before our PTO can use Square we have to find the answers to a couple of questions:
1. Is the credit card information stored on the iPod Touch we will use? If not where is it stored?
2. How much of each transaction do we actually pocket?

I wonder if Square will read this blog post?:):):)

Schmoker Focus Book Study and Online Discussion

2011-02-14T18:52:00.000-06:00

ASCD book of the month is Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning.
I wish I could remember where I first heard mention of this book but after reading Results Now by Schmoker I knew any book by this author would make sense with me. Then David Jakes mentioned it in his Educon conversation and I knew it would be good. (I find myself agreeing with David Jakes often even if my tweets and blogs do not reflect that.

After reading the first 2 chapters today this is definitely the right book at the right time, at least for me.
I started a google doc to get my thoughts on paper and I am sharing that with you. Just remember that these are my own random thoughts that I want to be able to come back to and might not make any sense to you. It is a public document so you are welcome to add your thoughts. If I have time I will make look a little more organized. Or maybe not:)

A group of us will also be discussing this on twitter on the next three Wednesday evenings. We will use the hashtag #ascdfocus and you can sign up here. Hmmmmm? How will this affect my leadership? Will I be able to be transparent on twitter?

Image Credit

Parenting 2.0 FETC Presentation by Rita Oates

2011-02-05T22:36:00.001-06:00

This presentation has some really good links and statistics to share with your PTO and/or parent community. (What tags do you recommend for this post? I will go back in and add them if you can recommend some.)

Parenting 2.0: How to Help Parents with Digital Issues and Fears (from FETC 2011)

iRover Interactive White Board "Station"

2011-02-05T10:15:00.000-06:00

Putting interactive white boards in all "core" classrooms in the district was our superintendent's goal about 4 years ago. Regardless of your personal opinions on that topic that goal has been reached. During this process we visited a district that had a reputation of being on the cutting edge creating IWB lessons. My teachers traveled to this school for a full day of workshops. It was disappointing to find that all the lessons were created in PowerPoint and were basically retyped versions of the textbook projected onto the white board. I remember walking out of session with one my teachers and saying to her, "Please don't ever do that to our students."

Now that most of my teachers have spent at least one year getting used to the IWB's (Yes, they all have one.), my hope is that there is more student interaction and ownership of this learning device. One horror story I heard at FETC is that IWBs in some classrooms are covered up with bulletin boards.
Then I saw the iRover at FETC. Would this be the answer?

I still think it depends on the teacher but this is a really good concept. The iRover is only the furniture, or cart, and we would use IWB and projectors that we already have. At first I wanted to buy one for everyone right there on the spot. Even my instructional specialist saw the potential.

All of my teachers have writing centers that hold chart paper. This cart holds the IWB. It is important to have teacher/student created writing posted around the room. One concern I have would be if all writing were done and saved on the IWB and not displayed around the room. It is important to have a print rich environment.

In our primary classrooms our SMART boards are placed at a level the students can reach and interact with. So I ask myself this, if the boards are already at a level the students can reach and the students are not using them, is putting them on a different piece of furniture going make a difference?

If you are a principal, how have you implemented interactive white boards in your school? How do you monitor how they are being used?

Day One FETC - Florida Education Technology Conference

2011-02-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

My district sent 7 staff members to FETC this year. Since PD funds are going to be cut tremendously over the next couple of years this could be our last big conference for a while. I am thrilled to be here due to a FREE plane ticket earned from last year's attendance at #colearning when my flight was canceled. Turns out, due to weather, I might be stranded here as well:) "Snowmagedon 2011" is hitting the Midwest as I type this post.
Advice for newbies: Last week I tweeted out a question for advice for newbies. Here is the advice I received:

Wear comfortable shoes (Tennis shoes don't exactly go with my outfit but I am in comfortable shoes:)
Do not miss the Shoot-out at 11:00.
Be sure to sign up for all the prizes.

I think that I can do all of the above!

How I prepared for FETC:

Scoured the website for a few hours this weekend.
Added FETC website as a bookmark on my iPad.
Did a google search on he keynote speakers to help decide which sessions to attend.
Had a crash course in Edmodo. Edmodo will be the "back channeling" resource sharing site for the conference. Each session has a group number you join in edmodo for resources and discussion.

Now I am off to find the Shoot-out! You can follow me on twitter at @mmiller7571. I have found that things go really fast at conferences and I may not be the best "tweeter."

Tune in form more later.

And BTW this is #1 for @fliegs blogger challenge:)

The Post is Within the Picture - Creativity???

2011-01-23T16:06:00.001-06:00

You have to read the text inside this picture to understand. Still experimenting with uses for iPad in the classroom. This is probably not a quality use since it's just an electronic worksheet but my 5 yr. old loves this:)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Top 100 Administrator Blogs

2011-01-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

Below is a link to an awesome list of administrator blogs. If only more admin were blogging. I shared the link with my district admin team and hopefully they will read some of them, some of the time:) There are some great ideas among these blogs that you can implement in your own school. What an amazing collection of forward thinkers who want to share with us!

This blog was put together to share ideas with the administrators across the US and eventually the world so that we could learn together. Our work in the Principal's office can be lonely at times. We don't have another principal across the hall that we can run to for advice or ideas. It is nice to see other admin willing to share and help each other out.

Click her for the entire list

Montessori Crosswords App Review

2011-01-22T09:39:00.000-06:00

Back in November I started using iPods and my iPad with some of the students in my school. I was not convinced that these devices were more than just mere toys/games. However I found that they were valuable when it came to the "word work" part of our new Daily 5 routine. When the kids were released to work on words they were working with magnetic letters, wiki sticks, dry erase markers and white boards, etc. There are plenty of apps in the iTunes store regarding working on words. Some are okay but I wasn't finding anything that was working on letters sounds.

Montessori Crosswords has the letter sounds. Instead of saying the name of the letter when you touch a letter it was making the sound. This was a huge find for me! My 5 year old knows her letters but we have begun working on sounds and the other apps didn't have the sounds in isolation. I have the Magnetic ABCs and really love it but it only says the letter name. Even thought this has a section where you can build words that are pre-created this app also has the magnetic letter feature that you can build your own words by the sounds of the letters.

I am still leaning towards iPads for K-2 because of the size of the screen for their little fingers and not quite perfect fine motor skills.

Teacher PD = Brain Gym

2011-01-18T20:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a teacher workday in my district. In the morning teachers meet with their Cadres (Math, Literacy, or School Succss). In the afternoon we had an in house expert present to us on Brain Gym movements.
Mrs. Houghtaling teaches 1st grade at Willard Central Elementary and has been using Brain Gym in her classroom for the past 7 years. At the end of her workshop our staff decided to at least start with the "hook up" this week. You will see a picture in the Smilebox below. Enjoy!

Make a free digital scrapbook

Sub D MAESP Meeting Jan. 20th

2011-01-14T11:46:00.000-06:00

Hello Principals!!!

I hope your year is off to a great start! Some of you may have had some extra time off with this crazy weather. Here is the information about our meeting next week:

Who: MAESP Sub D - BRING A FRIEND!!!

When: Thursday Jan. 20th 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Where: Ebbet's Field on South Glenstone (Used to be Rivals next to the old Circuit City.)

Topics: Grade Cards & Lesson plans - Please bring a copy of your grade cards for each grade level in your building. Or you can email me copies and I will upload so you don't have to make so many copies. We will also discuss lesson plan expectations. What do you expect for teachers when it comes to lesson plans?

Please use the form below to let me know how many to include in our reservations:

Loading...

Leadership Team-Builder - Story Cube App

2011-01-13T15:52:00.000-06:00

For me, team-building is a way to get to know my staff better and make the transition, from a busy day, to our meetings. I try to do team-building activities as often as I can but sometimes you just have to get the point of a meeting an get started. This week I chose to do an activity.
At my building Leadership Team meeting this week I used the iPhone app Story Cube for our team-builder. It is a "dice" app that has dice with pictures on them and you can use the pictures as story starters, or how I used it for this activity. This is how it worked.........

Turn your iPhone on "airplane mode" (You wouldn't want to get a text message right in the middle of someone else's turn.)
Each person takes a turn shaking the iPhone to roll the dice
There are 9 dice but for the sake of time we only picked two, after we rolled.
Each teacher had to relate one picture to a personal topic and one picture to a professional topic. (We only did 2 for the sake of time.)
You have to tell what picture is on the dice(because we were using my iphone and the other teachers couldn't see it) and whether it is personal or professional then tell your story.
Then pass to the next person.

I chose the picture of the magic wand(not pictured on the screen to the right but there is a wand on one of the dice) for personal wishing that I could wave a magic wand over my 2 children so they would sleep through the night.

I chose the picture of the tree(also not pictured) to tell the group about the new trees planted by PTO over Christmas break

How did I come up with this? Tony Vincent shared the app via twitter then I just came up with activity on my own. At least I think I made it up:) I sometimes do better on the fly so to speak.

One of my teachers used the idea for her grad class last night and I learned something valuable about another staff member that I need to remember.

Try it and tell me what you think!

District Literacy Team

2011-01-06T15:21:00.001-06:00

This afternoon we spent 3 hrs. Learning and discussing writing conferences. I hope to be able to go back and do some conferences with some students and document to help the teachers out. It was good stuff!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Principal Back to School To-do list....

2011-01-05T18:34:00.000-06:00

Writing this post was on my to-do list for Monday that I obviously didn't get done until today:) Seriously, why did I even make a Monday to-do list? Anyway, here is what was on my list for Monday and/or this week after being off work for 2 weeks of holiday break:

Write my to-do list in this blog to help other principals in need
Update school Facebook page
Update school website
Send weekly update email to parents through SISK12
Send teacher memo
Check/update 2nd semester staff and school google calendar
Board Report due Friday - still working on that
1st discipline report due in board report
Write thank you not for parent that planted like 8 trees over the holiday break
Finalize Instructional Excellence logs for Central Office
Call parent who is going to install hand sanitizers
Make chart for 2nd qtr./semester reading scores
Assign readers for the rest of the chapters of our school-wide book club
Contact MAESP committee for new principal recognition at the state conference
Plan "Costumes for Community Service" day for Jan. 7th
Finalize hotel and arrangements for visit to school to observe RTI strategies
Survey 3rd and 4th graders for input on our monthly recognition assembly

So you get the point?! There is lots to do. This doesn't even include getting into classrooms which I usually schedule or have an idea of where I am going to visit each day. Geesh!

So what else did I leave out? What was on your to-do list for back-to-school after break?

The Tides are Turning

2010-12-31T21:52:00.001-06:00

As the new year begins I can feel the tides are turning in education. What will our profession look like and feel like a year from now?

Merit pay?
Vouchers?
Charter schools?
Peer input in evaluation?
The end of tenure as we know it?
Or will we still be right here?

Let us all remember IT'S ABOUT KIDS! As we all navigate these uncharted waters, my hope is that our kids, my own kids and your kids, succeed!

May the force be with you in 2011!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Nov. 28 Meeting Follow up - Walk-Through Information

2010-12-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

Image credit

Hello SW Principals!

We had a very productive meeting on Nov. 28th at Ebbet's Field! Everyone brought their current Walk-through forms and shared how/why they use their forms. Below is a link to a PDF of all copies. I am sure you can find something that will fit your school.

Next Meeting: Thursday January 20th 1:00-3:00 Ebbet's Field- We felt this was a really good location for everyone. It was a big private room that was a good environment for conversation.

I will email a sign-up form AFTER Christmas Break.

Topics: Grade Cards & Lesson plans - Please bring a copy of your grade cards for each grade level in your building. Or you can email me copies and I will upload so you don't have to make so many copies. We will also discuss lesson plan expectations. What do you expect for teachers when it comes to lesson plans?

If you have other topics you would like us to add to our meeting topics please let me know.

Walk-Through Observation Documents - This will open as a Google document. If you cannot access it please let me know.

Hopefully you will have a relaxing holiday break and not spend too much of your break working at school in the peace and quiet of a school when no one is around:):):)

Promoting your school through Smilebox

2010-11-28T22:38:00.000-06:00

There are lots of photo publishing tools for the web but I recently became a fan of Smilebox. Teachers can even get a free subscription if they ask. Here is an example that I am going to post to my school website for parents and to my school facebook page.

Make your own photo album

iPod Lessons Learned

2010-11-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I worked with Kindergartners using iPod Touches. It was pretty exciting for them and for me:) It's nice to interact with students one on one and I admit I need to do that more often.

Okay, lessons learned from 1st introduction to iPods:

iPod Touches are pretty small for Kindergartners.
The app with the larger letters was the better choice.
An iPad would probably be a better size for that age.
They really struggled moving the letters around because they are so small.
They just need practice for a while first so they can benefit from the word work aspect and not the actual manipulation of the letters.
We need to add headphones to the school supply list if we are going be able to use these frequently.
It's going to take time but imagine what the school environment would be like if the iPod was just a "natural resource" for kids to use as needed?

I'll keep you posted:)

1st Attempt at Garageband and Picture Podcasting

2010-11-14T18:56:00.000-06:00

Well..... let's see how this works.

Kindergarten Word Work on the iPod Touch

2010-11-14T15:22:00.000-06:00

K Word Work

Decided that the best way to determine the value of the iPod in the classroom is to try it out myself. So I packed up the 4 of the 26 iPod Touches that are not checked out to TEACHERS:) and tried them out with Kindergartners. Yes! I said Kindergartners. Crazy thing is that they can figure it out much quicker than I could.
Here is how this worked:

Word work seemed like the easiest time to work with them and that I could find apps for.
Actually there are more apps for practicing your ABCs than word work.
With the help of my tech specialist I settled on 2 apps to try. ABC Magnets and Magnetic ABC. These two apps allow students to create their own words.
Starting with a small group is the ONLY way to go. I cannot imagine introducing these to the whole class. During word work of The Daily 5 I worked with 3-4 students for about 10 min. Then pulled 3-4 more students.

Let's see if I can remember the sequence of events.....

Talked about being careful.
Students laid their hand flat on the table and I modeled how you would touch the screen by touching the back of their hand. Swiped softly on the back of their hand then a little harder to show you don't have to swipe so hard. Then made the students "swipe" the back of my hand so I could see how they were going to touch the iPods.
Showed them how to turn them on and off. Push the "home" button then swipe the lock. We practiced that twice. (BTW - I am the only one touching an iPod so far. I was modeling and they could touch mine.)
Showed the app and how it worked.
Gave them the iPod and we started together but once they were in the app I helped them individually.

Tune in for "lessons learned" in my next post.

Adding Pics When Posting from iPad

2010-11-05T14:12:00.001-06:00

Downloaded a flickr creative commons pic to my iPad using Flickr Search and Stamp.
Then uploaded to Blogpress and let's see what happens!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

SWMAESP Sub D Meeting Nov. 30th

2010-10-25T10:16:00.000-06:00

Hello SW MAESP Members!!!
Rather than creating another website/blog to share our information I decided to just add information to the blog that I already keep. This is a personal/professional blog that is not necessarily attached to my school in any way. It is a public blog and anyone can read it. If you are not familiar with blogging feel free to read other posts on this site and welcome to the world of blogging!

At our last meeting at the Library Center we decided to revive monthly meetings. Many principals mentioned that it would be nice to get together to share/support each other. If you cannot attend this one we will schedule another meeting after the 1st of the year. We will try to alternate dates a little bit so that everyone can attend at least once.

You're Invited!!!

What: SW Sub D Meeting
When: Tuesday Nov. 30th 1:00-3:00
Where: Ebbet's Field on S Glenstone (Used to be Rivals next to old Circuit City)

Topic: Evaluations/Walk-throughs/Observation forms etc. - Please bring copies of forms you use for observations. If you would like to forward your forms to me I can link them to this blog and send another post with the forms included.

Examples of some forms I and others have used over the years: (I could add others here as well.)
Google Spreadsheet checklist
Google "feedback" form used on iPad
A Willard form

Please RSVP on the form below.
Loading...

Test Post

2010-10-23T15:57:00.001-06:00

Can't seem to get Blogpress to work on my iPad. This is a test.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I Finally "Get" the iPad

2010-10-22T20:57:00.001-06:00

The past few days and nights I have been exploring the iPad a little more in depth. (Haven't been able to sleep due to cold and allergy medicine:)) Surely I could find a use for this other than as a consumption device. Seems I might have:)
Basically I just started carrying the thing around hoping it would come in handy.

-I discovered the ability to upload Pages files through iTunes so I could make and upload templates.
-A less tech experienced principal uses his all the time. (But I don't what apps etc. he uses.
-Stumbled across a blog of a classroom of 1st or 2nd grade students using a class set of ipads. Seriously, if 6-7 yr. olds can figure it out I should be able to.
-Chris Lehman posted an awesome post about using Google Forms to provide teachers with quality feedback and ongoing professional conversations.

There's way more to this story than this but I'm not a fan of really long posts.
So, here I sit posting to my blog from my iPad. I guess I'm finally figuring it out. I'll keep you "posted."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Curtain Call on the June Challenge - Whew!!!

2010-07-01T12:20:00.000-06:00

Well that's a wrap! Back in May Larry Fliegelman and I challenged each other to write a blog post every day the month of June. It started with a tweet from Kim and her blog Write Now! The original challenge was to read the book Spilling Ink (I think I read one chapter) and post about a chapter a day. I don't think either of us made 30/30 but it was a great experience and I have made many new connections through this.

Many times I am asked why I blog so here it is.....

I like to
Making connections with other principals and teachers
Sharing and receiving GREAT ideas outside the boundaries of my district
Helping people
If teachers they teach in a box, imagine principals not having other principals across the hall to run to for ideas, advice, venting etc.

My blogging challenges......

Coming up with ideas
Proof reading
Finding images that are CC - some of mine probably aren't and I need to pay more attention to that
Blog bling - what should I include in the sidebars
Being REALLY open - Most of my readers probably do not know my "real" opinions or educational philosophy because it is continuously evolving. My blog is also read by many teachers and community members in my district. Standardized testing makes me want to puke so you can only imagine how I feel about evaluating teachers based on the performance of one test only administered to 3rd and 4th graders. I don't have high blood pressure but just typing these thoughts probably raised it a little. I am going to find that "voice" eventually or at least speak out to the right people. If principals and teachers aren't speaking it out how will anything ever change.
Until then I will continue to tweet, read & subscribe to blogs, listen to podcasts, and support my teachers:)

The End - Well not THE end but the END of the June Challenge:)
Image credit

Ozarks Writing Project Guess Day

2010-06-30T08:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had the privilege to be invited to the Ozarks Writing Project guest day. A teacher from another elementary in my district invited her principal and her principal invited me. Let me see if I can briefly describe OWP.....

4 week summer institute for teachers focusing on the craft of teaching and learning about writing
Intense but valuable writing activities
Teachers teaching teachers
There is WAY more to it than that and hopefully some of the participants will comment and explain more eloquently than I have here:)

You might think that I am confident in my writing because I keep up this blog but you are wrong. I have read some blogs that get the same points across as I do but in a musical/story-like way. My goal is to just ideas out there in a short and sweet post.

Can you believe they were also promoting Twitter? They had the live twitter feed for #owp & #nwp scrolling so we could see what was going on with other writing institutes. Pretty cool stuff!

Unfortunately I was not able to stay all day but we did a really neat project with a teacher who teaches at-risk students. She talked about having a difficult time teaching about writing a reflection letter until she heard the Brad Paisly song "Letter to Me" on the radio. She then played the music video for her students and had them write letters to their future self. It was really neat.

I have a feeling this kind of stuff is what took place all the time for the 4-week institute. I really wanted to attend this summer but 4 weeks was more than I could manage. However, they are talking about hosting a principal version of this in the future.

Blogpress for the iPhone

2010-06-28T12:19:00.001-06:00

So I'm try g moble blogging AGAIN:) Chris Lehman just posted using this app and he has mentioned it before so now is the time! It makes me think I will blog more but don't get too excited. I could also email posts and don't so that either. I guess we will see. Probably best that I didn't spend the money to go to ISTE since I am buying all the Apps they are recommending. Geesh!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Staffing Changes, Moving on in Life - June Challenge

2010-06-26T07:25:00.001-06:00

Since I am running out of ideas for posts, Larry suggested I write about a staff change that was a real challenge for me. All staffing changes are a challenge.

Something that affected me more than I thought it would is when a staff member leaves. Teachers/staff leave for a variety of reasons and it is beyond my control. Some choose to stay at home with new babies (I always hope they will want to come back.) Some transfer to another building/age group. Some make career changes. Retirement. Regardless of the reasons, when I became a principal I didn't think anyone would ever leave my building. The first year was such a whirlwind that I hardly remember what happened. After that each departure affected me in a different way.

When we hire teachers we hope they are here to stay. We ask the question, "Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?" and we hope it's with us. Unfortunately there are no guarantees. Even the teachers in the interview think they are here to stay, but life happens. I mean seriously, am I going to say, "I would rather you not retire until I retire." or "Your baby will be fine. You need to teach a few more years with me." Those comments would not win me any points I am sure!

Unfortunately we spend more time at work than we do with our own family and our co-workers become our 2nd family. We invest a lot of time in each other and it is hard when there is a "break-up" for lack of a better term:) Most of the teachers and staff who have left my building have stayed in touch and/or I see them very often. It is like a family reunion when a former teacher or staff member comes back for a visit.

Image credit

Pogo Stylus - How did I miss this? - June Challenge

2010-06-25T07:00:00.006-06:00

Seriously? How did this get passed me? (I am sure I can find some way to blame @scottelias for holding out on me with this:) My fake nails kept me from buying the 1st gen iPhone so if I had known about this.... Steve Jobs could have had another $699 3 yrs ago. Can you remember how expensive the 1st iPhone was? Holy crap?

(I first read about Pogo Stylus in a post by Scott McLeod. This is a really good post and I highly recommend reading if you want to get the most out of your iPad.)

Now all jokes aside, this is a pretty good idea even if only for my daughter. She LOVES the iPad but I think she needs to work on "writing" at her age. Now she can work on writing on the iPad! The touch screen is great. Don't get me wrong, but that's not developmentally appropriate for my 4 year old. At least not in 2010. Maybe it will be some day but I still think kids need to "hand write" well.

It's an iPhone4 Anniversary! - June Challenge

2010-06-24T11:52:00.000-06:00

For those of you who stayed tuned to see if my iPhone4 actually arrived for my 10th anniversary.....it arrived early! Yesterday I semi-secretly tested out my new iPhone. Didn't want to post too much to twitter as I was seeing twitpics of all the lines at all the stores and I felt a little guilty. Didn't really want to drive by and wave my new phone box out the window. But curiosity got the best of me and I did journey around town to see if there was any hoopla locally.....nope. At least last night I could not find any lines:)

After downloading iOS4 at the beginning of the week I was almost regretting ordering the new iPhone. iOS4 really does everything the new phone does. I have not tried all the new features yet and will enjoy doing that the next few days.

1st Impressions:

The new retina vision or whatever it is called is pretty awesome
It's pretty sleek/flatter I guess
Felt really breakable until I got a new case this morning
I used Google voice and I am not sure it is set up correctly now, I couldn't remember my voicemail password.
Love the way the Apps look like they are floating, but that goes along with all iOS4
Battery doesn't seem to last longer I don't think, full charge yesterday at 4PM and it's at 27% right now. So that would be less than 24 hour life. Hmmm?

Image credit - and I think you can buy this cake topper if you would like:)

More Evernote Information - June Challenge

2010-06-23T17:27:00.000-06:00

This is just a reminder that I took on a challenge to post every day the month of June. Originally it was to post about the book Spilling Ink. However it morphed into posting whatever I could think of at the time. Even though I have failed miserably at the challenge and not been able to post every day, other challengers continue to inspire me. I will continue to do the best I can do:)

I often neglect to mention that I use the paid subscription to Evernote. I quickly exceeded my limit of space one day when I was scanning documents to clean out paper files. I believe it is the $40/yr. subscription.

Here is a post from one of my challengers, Principal Larry Fliegman, about how he uses Evernote. Be sure to read his June Challenge posts also.
This link just came through on Twitter and is an amazing, but lengthy post regarding Evernote.

So I guess I am linking to two other posts to take the pressure off a long post for myself:)

Evernote vs. Dropbox vs. Google Apps - June Challenge

2010-06-21T10:03:00.000-06:00

How about that for a mouthful? I have actually used all three. I use Dropbox the least amount of time however most admin. & teachers in my district use Dropbox more regularly than I do. All are accessible on the iPhone.

Evernote: My scanner is set up to scan all paper to Evernote automatically. Any time I get handouts, meeting agendas, teacher notes, etc. these are scanned into Evernote. My scanner is the small scanner and I will probably invest in the larger one in the fall. The hardest part is remembering to go back into the "note" and give it a title and tags so I can find it later. The search feature of Evernote is amazing so if I forget to title or tag I can search for any word in the document and eventually find it. (Tune in for more posts this week regarding Evernote. There are so many uses!)

Google Apps/Regular Google: This is where I live. Now that we can upload ANY file to Google apps/documents this makes Dropbox irrelevant to me. I can upload my files and keep the original formatting I just have to remember that if I downloaded I have to re-uploaded it as the new file. Have not had to do that yet. Now that Google docs has been upgraded and they added Google Drawings I can do just about anything I need right in Google.

Dropbox: When Dropbox first came out I used it for a couple of documents to work on at home. I think my entire "My Documents" folder is sync'd to Dropbox but I have not used any of my documents in there. Some other principals have share some Dropbox folders with me but that is the extent of my use.

This is a very brief comparison but I have to get home because my sitter leaves in an hour:):):) Still trying to post in June though!

Google Docs Collaboration - Day (? I lost track:)

2010-06-16T17:06:00.000-06:00

Next year my building will be using Google Docs to collaborate. Here are some of our current uses and hopefully future uses:

Currently:

Leadership Team agenda and minutes - The agenda is typed up and shared through Google Apps. We type the minutes directly onto the agenda. There is an original template that I copy so that we don't have to redo the agenda every time.
3rd Grade Planning - My 3rd grade team is planning their grade level meetings in Google Docs. They commented that they actually get more done in a short amount of time because they can just fill in the document and not even have to talk about things because it has already been addressed. (This is a pretty cool thing for them.)
Curriculum Pacing Guides - A district committee created Math pacing guides and we are actually using Sites to store the information. When we were not able to type into Sites because of tech glitches I notice that the different groups were typing in Google docs so that the information could be shared with the right people.
Behavior Matrix planning - We are creating a consistent behavior expectations matrix and this was created in Google Docs as a "table" and the teachers can add their thoughts. No has added any thoughts but I will continue to send links and ask for feedback.
(I think there is more but I don't want this post to get too long.)

Hopefully:

All grade level meetings
All committee/cadre meetings
Lesson plans - This is a long shot because this is such a personal thing. Everyone has their way of doing lesson plans just like I have my way of documentations. It would make it easier for me to see their lesson plans but "easier for me" is not a good reason at all.:) It would have to benefit them and they would have to see the value. If they found value in sharing with their grade levels and then could share with me that would be great!
PTO website with agendas and minutes in docs but linked on the website. We already set my PTO president up with an Apps account we just need to try this one out.
Student reading logs in Forms
Reading/writing workshop student conference logs in Forms

I'll keep you posted!

Traveling Post iPad 3G - Day 13

2010-06-13T15:02:00.000-06:00

So I missed yesterday and trying to make up today. Since I had a day trip today I thought I should try out the 3G capabilities. Not such good luck today. From the SW center of MO to the SE corner of the state there is no 3G. Not only did the iPad not connect but neither did my iPhone. Oh, and when I got on to activate the 3G, the site was down for maintenance.

The silver lining is the fact that in had downloaded some kid-friendly Apps. Cassidy (turns 2 next weekend) enjoys drawing. Alyson 4yr. old, played some alphabet games. So I guess my opinion that this is a great tool for kids still stands:)

Needless to say I wont be able to blog on day trips to the in-laws.

Why I "need" an iPhone4 - Day 11 of challenge

2010-06-11T11:30:00.000-06:00

Let's face it, I don't really NEED an iPhone4 but I sure should have one! Below is my Top Ten list why my husband needs to buy this for me for our 10th anniversary:

10. 10 yrs = "Aluminum Anniversary = iPhone has to have some type of aluminum-ish metal in it somewhere.
9. The iPhone is scheduled to be available the exact date of my anniversary. June 24
8. I showed great restraint when the iPad was released
7. It's thinner
6. I can record and edit movies of my children to send to family
5. The folders option can help me organize all my Apps. (I have A LOT.)
4. Multitasking - I have wanted the iPhone to do this since the Palm came out with it.
3. Longer battery life
2. I can keep the unlimited plan
1. Scott Elias is getting one and I have one-up him.:)

So tune in for my "Anniversary iPhone Post" and see how it turns out!

Summer Office Organization - Day 10

2010-06-10T07:34:00.000-06:00

My office is a disaster by the end of the school year. For the last 3-4 weeks of school I usually just let it go and keep adding to piles. After the teachers and students are dismissed for the summer I know I will have time to clean/purge whatever is needed.
(I wish I would have taken a picture before I started but these will have to do. )

My daily documentation system is a paper system. I know that is shocking since some of you might think I am so tech savvy:)

My documentation is kept on a clipboard. This is an Outlook daily page from 7AM-7PM.
I tried to print Google calendar pages but they don't print the right time range.
Behind each daily page on the clipboard I keep a blank lined paper to take notes for the day.
Sometimes there are notes and sometimes not.
I print 2 weeks documentation at a time.

So I just realized that I have 6 years of documentation binders! I usually do not have to go back through these binders but you never know. But I probably do not need to keep them in binders anymore and could free up some space:)

Sooooooo....I am spending the next couple of days scanning all this documentation to our school server or Evernote. I added my Evernote email to the office copy machine so I can just go ahead and scan directly. I was emailing my school email and then forwarding to Evernote and that was not working.

This picture is only a small amount of my most recent documentation.(Highlighted in green.) It should only take me a little time to scan this today. Then I can give the teachers these binders to use for their Reading binders:)

The reason I chose Evernote is because I can search by any word that might be in the document. Searching my files on my computer takes forever and I can never remember the exact title of the document. AND I have Evernote on my iPhone and can access it anytime, anywhere. Not that I ever do but I could:)

Now I have to work on the "binders" stored in the teacher mailroom/junk room. Remember when binders were the thing "in thing?" The more the better and who could make the coolest spine and cover page?

Spilling Ink ARRIVED - Day 9 Challenge

2010-06-09T07:30:00.001-06:00

Finally, the reason behind all this madness has arrived on my desk! The original challenge was to read and post about the book Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook, daily for the month of June. My dilemma was that it was going to take so long for the book to arrive, what was I to do in the meantime? So it's here and this may the only post regarding the actual book which = the reason for the June Challenge.

The past two years our building has been working on teaching writing through the Missouri Reading Initiative. This was a three year initiative that has ended but how do we carry on all the things we learned? Anytime I see or read something on Twitter about literacy it catches my eye. I wonder, "What are other schools doing and could we do that?" Taking the "Spilling Ink Challenge" was a way for me to work on my own writing. (It might take longer than the month of June to improve my writing but at least I am trying.:)

If independent writing is something you expect your students to do on a daily basis, how about you try it? Challenge yourself to write something every day. It's a lot harder than I imagined. I love to blog but for me it is finding the time to do it. Time is one of the excuses I use in public. My private reasons for not blogging as often is fear. What do people think of what I write? Does anyone read this stuff? If they do read it, does it help them at all? Many of the people who read this do not KNOW me as a person so what perception am I giving off in all this writing?

Well regardless of the answers to the above questions I am in it until the end of June at least:)

Adult Podcasts for PD for Adults - Day 8

2010-06-08T07:30:00.001-06:00

This is about adults listening to podcasts for adults, NOT podcasting for students or students creating podcasts. Although that is really great too, I think we don't realize all the resources out there for us.

The first podcast that I ever listened to was WOW - Women of the Web. At the time I thought I was listening to a “podcast” but I actually started out listening to LIVE webcasts then realized I didn’t have to show up “live” every time they were on. I could just subscribe in iTunes and listen at my liesure.

I strongly recommend that you explore the world of podcasting. I was hooked after just a couple of downloads. My car has become my “vehicle” for personal learning. My two daughters make it a little challenging to listen to live webcasts any more but I can download a variety of “shows” to my iPhone.

Podcasts I created:
The Podcasting Principal - I abandoned this podcast when Scott Elias and I started The Practical Principals but there are still some episodes you might enjoy.
The Practical Principals - Practical advice on topics and issues you didn’t learn about in Grad school.

Favorites to subscribe to:
TWiT = This Week in Tech
TWiG = This Week in Google
SEEDLINGS
Entreprenurial Thought Leaders = Standford University
Small Schools Big Tech

#Edcamp KC Fall 2010

2010-06-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

@wmchamberlain just tweeted me about #Edcamp KC! Finally an un-conference type of event for the Midwest! According the wiki these are popping up all over the country this year.

@kylepace seems to be the instigator, I mean organizer of this event and he needs our help. Please join the wiki and the discussion about this exciting event. Below I am copy and pasting the sample "press release" so you can understand what this event is.

"edcamp Philly: Education 'Unconference' Comes to Drexel University in May 2010

edcamp Philly, a free conference for teachers, administrators and anyone involved in education comes to Drexel University on May 22, 2010

(Philadelphia, PA) March 25th, 2010 -- edcamp Philly (http://www.edcampphilly.org), an education conference like no other, will be held at Drexel University on Satruday, May 22nd. The structure of the conference is very informal, with attendees signing up to run sessions first thing in the morning.

The conference will be free from corporate vendors and booths, with the focus being solely on conversations about education. Attendees will come from all over the East Coast and will range from classroom teachers to administrators to coaches and school board members. There will be time for attendees to gather informally to share ideas as well as a variety of sessions for them to attend, run by their colleagues and fellow educators.

This inaugural event is based on the barcamp model, also known as an unconference (http://barcamp.org). An unconference is:

an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment; and
a conversational event featuring discussions, demos and interactions between participants, rather than a group of people listening to a particular speaker.

The organizers of edcamp Philly met at BarCamp Philly (http://www.barcampphilly.org) in November 2009, ran a session together and fell in love with the model and its potential for teacher professional development. They immediately began pulling together ideas for their own, education-centered barcamp conference. They dropped the 'bar' wording (which refers to computer programming language) and replaced it with 'ed,' referring to the event's K-12 education focus.

As with all barcamps, edcamp Philly is completely free, with all refreshments and other amenities provided solely through sponsorship. With the possibility of up to 300 attendees, the organizers are looking for local businesses who may be interested in being featured in the conference literature. Those interested in being a sponsor can make donations and/or contact the organizers on the website (http://www.edcampphilly.org/?page_id=51).

The organizers are excited to start what will hopefully be an annual gathering of forward-thinking, innovative and engaging education professionals in the greater Philadelphia area.

For additional information about this event, contact Mary Beth Hertz or visit http://www.edcampphilly.org.

About edcamp Philly:
The first of its kind, edcamp Philly is a free, informal education conference to be held at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Contact:
Mary Beth Hertz, co-organizer
(267) 507-4033
http://www.edcampphilly.org
email: organizers@edcampphilly.org"

School-wide Behavior Expectations(aka Positive Behavior Expectations)

2010-06-06T07:30:00.000-06:00

The PBS philosophy has been around for a few years. Let me begin by saying we are not going through the formal PBS training provided by our regional PD centers. A couple other schools within my district are going through this process with their staff as well. Sometimes schools/teachers do not realize how much they can accomplish on their own. We are not opposed to inviting trainers to help out but we think we can get the ball rolling on our own.

At our last Leadership Team meeting before the teachers went home for the summer we talked about the need for school-wide behavior expectations in certain locations and/or scenarios in our school. We do not have a HUGE discipline problem but we could stand to have a little more order during transitional periods or unstructured times during the day. (Hallway, restroom, cafeteria, etc.)

We are not reinventing the wheel so to speak. We are using resources and information off of other school websites to create our philosophies/forms etc. I have been doing a lot of the initial creation because I am still "on the clock." I did share our behavior matrix with the teachers through our Google Apps account so they can add to work I already started. We will meet again before school starts to tweak our collaborative online work and decide how to present to the teachers.

Our Universals:
R.O.A.R.
R-Respect Each Other
0-Observe Safety
A-Attitude is everything
R-Responsible Choices

Below are links to some of the resources I have referred to:
Mrs. Avery's Class
Emerson Elementary, Joplin, MO
SWMO RPDC

Faculty Review of Administrator

2010-06-05T07:40:00.006-06:00

This is my 6th year as elementary principal at Willard East. In an effort to make sure that I am genuinely serving my teachers and students I decided I would have the teachers fill out a survey somewhat evaluating me as a school leader. This was not a researched based survey or some type of hidden meaning evaluative survey. It is a survey that is used by a neighboring school district every year. I did not create it.

Another principal in the district surveyed his staff and I thought this would be very helpful for my personal and professional growth. There was NO hidden agenda to doing this survey. I wanted to know what my teachers think. Mentally I was prepared to be put under the microscope and hear some negative feedback too. However, I found that most of the feedback was very professional and genuine. Both the "needs improvement" areas and "strengths" were right on or at least I agreed with most of it.

Here is how I posted the information for my staff to see the results.....
Below the quoted post is a copy of the survey if you would like to use it someday.(Sorry for the terrible template. The teachers clicked on a link that sent them to the form which is formated better as a website.)

"Principal Survey – Thank you to those of you filled out the google form “Faculty Review of Administrator.” This information is very helpful for my personal and professional growth. I shared this information with the Leadership Team and told them I would share with all of you as well. Below I will briefly summarize the results. If you would like me to elaborate on this more, please stop by and we can talk.

Only 20 staff members completed the survey
Next year I will probably have Bob create the survey and provide everyone with a login “token”. Stewart used this process at the HS and received 87/113 responses to his survey.
There was one “outlier” to the positive, meaning someone rated me highly on EVERYTHING. ‘
There was one “outlier” to the negative, meaning someone is not pleased with my leadership

Needs Improvement:

Collaboration with grade levels
Be respectful of time and work load
Build positive relations with parents
More student involvement
Be a better listener
Technology expectations – Slow down
Job Stress – handle job stress better:)

Strengths:

Communication
High expectations
Follows policy
Backing/supporting teachers
Technology – knowledgeable
Humor/creates positive environment"

Loading...

Elementary Writing Use for iPad

2010-06-04T07:24:00.000-06:00

There are tons of math, games, science, chemistry, etc. upper grade apps for the iPad. Finding uses for the primary grades seems a bit more difficult. Please keep in mind that I have not taken the time to explore this as much as other iPad education users have. Below are a couple of uses.

Children's books - There is huge possibility here! Unlike the Kindle, the iPad is colorful and gives the impression of actually turning pages. Children learning to read need to have their hands on authentic books. I have a 4 year old who LOVES books but when I put the iPad in her hands she wants to watch videos. Here is a screen shot of one children's book I found in the iBook store:

Writer's Workshop - We use Lucy Calkins Units of Study and it entails drawing pictures. Doodle Buddy has options for drawing, using "stamps," and inserting backgrounds. Students can create a picture, email it so it can be posted online, then students can write/type about the picture they created.

(Ignore the spider in the sky. Or you can actually write about the spider in the sky I guess:) There is so much more I am sure but I am really interested in the literacy instruction with the iPad and technology right now.

My iPad Thoughts So Far - Post 3 of June Challenge

2010-06-03T07:24:00.003-06:00

This is actually not my own iPad but one purchased for the school. Our assignment has been to evaluate it for it's use in education. Sooooooo....I'm not doing so well with that:) Here are my random thoughts:

I did not sync it correctly and all my iPhone apps ended up on it the first time. I am still in the process of deleting ALL apps that are not compatible for the iPad. Some only show up in the iPhone size and when you 2x's them it distorts the image. Not a fan of that:)
The apps in green are the apps I or my daughters have used most often.
Currently I use it as a "reader." It is really easy to just pick up and read email, the internet, or books I have downloaded.
Since I can just leave this laying around I use it more often than my laptop now. That is one of the most surprising things to me. My laptop is always positioned on the kitchen counter but now the iPad holds that coveted position.
The apps in green on the 2nd image are apps that my daughters use the most of want to play with the most.
Apps are expensive! I quit downloading the free iPhone apps that are not compatible to the iPad. It is annoying that the apps are not the right size.

Tune in tomorrow for some ideas on using this in the classroom:)

Summer Reading List - Post 2 of June Challenge

2010-06-02T07:30:00.008-06:00

Hopefully I will get some reading done this summer! I have quite a list and I have started to read each of these books.

Book study with teachers - We have just come off a 3 year reading initiative and will now begin to "sharpen the saw." We are reading The Daily 5 and The CAFE Book. My 2nd grade teachers have read and implemented The Daily 5 and they are on to reading The CAFE Book. We will meet 4 times this summer. I also purchased the accompanying videos and the Intermediate grade versions of the videos.

Books for myself:
Spilling Ink - The main reason I am posting each day is a tweet I saw about reading Spilling Ink.
The World is Flat - A Brief History of the 21st Century (So far this is my favorite and I have just read the beginning.)
Greater Than Yourself - The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership - Recommended by one of my "google heroes" @iteachag (By the way he has an awesome new podcast Small School Big Tech. You have to listen!)
Accidental Billionaires - The Founding of Facebook: A tale of sex, money, genius, and betrayal.
Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
unChristian - What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters - Going to church is so different today than when I was a kid. What are my children going to think of church/religion/spirituality as they grow up? My mom "made" us go. She sang in the choir and after the choir came in we went for donuts because we sat where she couldn't see us:) But I still had a connection with the church and what it meant.

Sucker for a Twitter Challenge

2010-06-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

Jeesh! Here I go again. Hopefully I can make it all the way through June on this challenge.
Today I retweeted a challenge by @teachergirl89......Spilling Ink" challenge... blogging every day in June...Who's up for it? http://tinyurl.com/nc7gg3”

Then @fliegs replied he would do it if I did it. Oh man, how can back down now? Well let's just see how it goes. The book Spilling Ink is not at the local book stores and will take some time to get here. So we agreed to at least post every day in June and when we get the book go from there.

I did actually go to Amazon and read the excerpts they have there and I am excited to read the book now. I think kids would love it. It is a down to earth book about being a writer. I struggle with writing myself. I feel like I can write a "mean" school newsletter and/or parent letter but blogging and twitter are not as natural to me. That sounds pretty pathetic I am sure.

Tune it to see how this evolves. If you are like me and don't have much showing up in your reader these days.... it might make for some light/humorous reading.

Getting Control of Email

2010-05-31T19:12:00.000-06:00

My end of the week email goal is always "Inbox Zero." Some of you may notice that every now and then I post to this to twitter. It is a great feeling but never really lasts more than a minute or two before something else enters my inbox.

After Lisa Thuman posted her14,000 emails to Inbox Zero post I decided to keep better documentation of my experience "Getting Control of Email." Just as with Lisa it all started at #gtadmin and Henry Theile's short presentation on Gmail. The main "take away" from his presentation was the power of gmail's "Filter messages like these" option.

It took me almost one month to feel like I had made some progress. Before "filtering" I was clicking on "Report Spam" and then deleting everything. But I never really saw any big difference in the amount of email that was coming in. Now I am almost disappointed sometimes when I check my mail and there is nothing new:)

You should try it! Use Gmail and "filter messages like these!"

2010-05-16T18:02:00.001-06:00

My 1st mobile post

Unintentional Hiatus from Social Networking

2010-05-16T16:28:00.002-06:00

At a time when I should have a lot to say I find myself with nothing. #edchat every week, Race to the Top controversy, school funding is in toilet. But I've got nothing.

Maybe it is just out of my frustration for all of it. I still read my Twitter feed all the time but hesitate to post. I anxiously check my Google Reader hoping someone else has posted some words of wisdom that will inspire me again and they do, often. But still, I've got nothing. Actually, I have a lot to say but it just doesn't come out as eloquently as others.

Twitter - For me this is a way to connect with other principals and share ideas. I think we are all so busy it's hard for all of us to find time to blog reflectively right now:) I also enjoy the socializing that goes along with my Twitter friends and their menus on the weekends.:) I am certain that if we all got together and prepared our favorite meals it would be quite a feast:)

Blogging - This is it! You are looking at it. I actually have a weekly staff blog that I do not share publicly that I do keep up with. This is a "memo" type blog and not as reflective as it probably should be.

Facebook - I am not a fan. I have a personal account and I have created an account for my school. My school account is actually a great addition to my school-wide communication. I think I have 102 fans and most parents of my students. It's just hard to keep up a school website, school Facebook page, send weekly parent emails, keep up with Supt.'s weekly newsletter we have to post to, etc. I keep thinking that due to all of Facebook's privacy issues another company is going to come along and right what Facebook does wrong.

Flickr - Great for photo sharing! My family is still using Kodak Gallery and I am contemplating going back at least for family photos. My new Eye-fi card for my camera is awesome. I just turn my camera on and the photos upload automatically to my hard drive AND Flickr. Our district is "going Google" so I am also considering Picasa.

Time - Two little girls, after I stared my social networking career, seem to fill my "free time." now. As I write this they are running through the house tormenting the dog with cereal:) I usually catch up on my Twitter feed at night when I lay down with them. I am so busy soaking up all the great information I forget to add to the conversation.

Podcasting - The Practical Principals have taken a major backseat lately. I think Scott is in the same situation I am with 2 small children. We can never coordinate our schedules just perfectly to record. We finally met in person in February and haven't recorded since.

Balance - Once again I try to find balance. Through all of this I have discovered a new appreciation for my job and have some exciting new ideas for next year. (For my teachers who read this it should not include more work for you:)) We are reading to wrap up this year but I am also ready to start next year with a renewed sense of service to kids and teachers.

Photo credit = My 1st attempt at an iPad drawing:)

Willard East Intro to Google Apps for Education

2010-03-22T22:31:00.000-06:00

(Cross posted on my staff memo.)

Some of you might wonder when I am going to share the incredible amount of information I gained at Google Teacher Academy for Administrators. Well here is a brief intro:)

FREE Webinar Wed. March 24th 1:00 PM – You must register to attend but you are welcome to register immediately preceding the event I am sure. This particular webinar is supposed to be different. Past webinars have been about the “free” and how to get it. Well Willard already has it! The focus of this webinar is how HS teachers in one Chicago area school are using the Apps tools in innovative ways.

Google Apps is something that will be very beneficial to our school and students. The Teaching Specialists have a workshop planned for this AFTER school is out for the year. You are welcome to request an access password from Matt R. if you would like to start looking around now. Here are my thoughts about this process:

This process could involve students. Not sure the students need to go through training with the teachers but the students would benefit from ownership of these tools. (Janetta added some really cool extra Apps!)

Cloud computing – Saving all your work online (in a virtual cloud) so you can have it anytime, anywhere there is Internet access. Students can log in from home and work on projects. Teachers can work on documents from home and school without trying to remember which flash drive they save work on and where that flash drive is:)
Calendar - I have been using Google calendar for 4 years, I think. How has that worked for you? Has that been beneficial? There have been some glitches and your principal forgets to put things on the calendar but other than that, what would happen if I deleted our Google calendars? Yikes! Maybe we could have used Google calendar for the Math Diary mapping? Just a thought. Could you embed calendars on your class website of things going on specifically within your classroom and/or grade level?
Google Docs – This includes Presentations, Spreadsheets, Forms, and Docs. If you click on each of those you will see how we have already used those tools at Willard East. How can you or your students use these tools in innovative ways? These tools can make your work life more efficient but can also give students a chance to “log in” at home. SOME students would take advantage of that.
Sites - Sites has been challenging for me. Matt has worked with Lisa and Andrea on sites and they might have a little more understanding than I do. I have abandon sites 3-4 times now.:) You can click on my “sample site” but Matt has done most of the work. I “shared” it with him as a collaborator so he can help me out. Somewhere out there is a Google site created by students for Readers’ Workshop. It is “private” within another school’s district domain so I am not able to share a link. I believe it was created by 4th graders. My absolute favorite “site” is “Living on a Cloud.” It is set up like a book with the chapters as links in the sidebar. VERY COOL!

Again, think of this as my brief introduction to Google Apps. There is so much more to tell you but this can at least get the creative juices flowing around our building. One or more of you may decide to dive right in due to the possibilities you see. Don’t wait for me! Lots of schools are eagerly awaiting elementary school ideas they can share with their teachers. Matt is an excellent resource when it comes to transferring the use of the tool to innovative teaching strategies so don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with him when he is our building.

Welcome to the future! I hope you are enjoying your Spring Break. It looks like the weather is going to get better after all:)

Melinda

Get Your Google On - Presentation for MAESP

2010-03-22T13:20:00.003-06:00

Here is my 1st attempt at a presentation after Google Teacher Academy for Admin. in San Antonio. I "borrowed" quite a few of these slides from presentations during the academy. I am not sure that I gave appropriate credit within the presentation but told the participants during the workshop that I "borrowed" many of the slides and who I borrowed them from:
Mark Wagner CUE
Danny Silva - iTeachAg

Unfortunately this presentation was only 1 week following the academy I didn't have time to add much detail about Google Apps for education but I explained how it would work as I went. I have spent the past 2 days exploring our district Google Apps account and coming up with some ideas that would work. It will not work to add one more thing for teachers to "own." Students need to have ownership of many of these tools.

PD Overload #gtadmin & #ascd10

2010-03-06T15:33:00.003-06:00

Enjoying a moment of peace and quiet in the "press room" of ASCD conference. Not even sure where to begin reflections at this point. Let me at least share a few take-aways so far:

#GTAdmin - Google Teacher Acadamy for Administrators

Focus on the student
Use the tools to solve current challenges, don't make the tools new challenges
Google Alerts - one thing I want to set up ASAP and could have probably done by now but haven't taken the time
Could start Google Apps for education with teachers and gmail right now, 3rd and 4th grade students once teachers explore it

#ASCD10

Yong Zhao is a hilarious presenter and I have added his book to my list of books to read
Other countries are attempting to reform their education systems to look like ours.
Since there is not enough time in the day, I need to carve out a few minutes to explore virtual worlds. (2nd Life etc.)
Geoffrey Canada - You have to read between the lines of what he is saying. ALL teachers may not see his remarks as insightful.
Rich Allen is a dynamic presenter! Attended a 5 day workshop with him 12 years ago when he was with Eric Jensen and will definitely buy his new book Green Light Classroom before I leave.

Disclaimer - May not be the most eloquent post but you have to start somewhere.

Sharing Twitter with Non-Tweeters

2010-02-23T16:05:00.003-06:00

Have you wanted to share the responses you receive to a twitter question without having to hold your phone up to someones face to show them?

Have you asked a question on twitter, got lots of replies, and then needed to make a paper copy for those who are not familiar with the power of twitter?

Well.... that has happened to me more than once but here is how I shared tweets, with non-tweeters on two occasions.

Question: Do you have an activity fee or charge students to participate in athletics?

I used Skitch on my Mac book and copy and pasted into a "pages" document and then emailed it to my athletic director so he could see how other school around the country afford all the extra-curriculars. (I don't remember how I did this and my Mac is not here so I can really explain in detail. I am going assume if you know how to use Skitch go ahead. If not, read below.)

Today's question: Teachers, are you filtered or unfiltered on the Internet? If not how do you work around?

Step one: I had to use my "work around password" to access the twitter website:):)
Step two: Used the "capture" feature in Jing to outline the tweets I wanted to copy. You can copy one at a time. If you lots of "mentions" in a row you can "capture" a group of tweets at time (Jing is free.)
Step three: Used the "copy" feature to copy to the clipboard
Step four: Pasted it to a publisher document (or you could use word.)
Step five: Squished it all together and printed paper copies to hand out at my meeting.

I let people watch my twitter feed and it is often confusing to them. This way I have narrowed it to specific tweets of interest. Then they can understand that power of twitter.
If you have an easier, better, or another way please share in the comments.

Educon Reflections for my Teachers

2010-02-09T21:48:00.005-06:00

(I copy and pasted what I posted in my staff blog for my teachers.)

I have been tossing around an idea for a post to share with you about Educon in Philadelphia since I got back. Rather than continue to try to construct the perfect post I'm just going to purge all my thoughts here however they may come out! Continue at your own risk:) It would be easiest to just copy and paste another principal's thoughts, but I guess that would be cheating. So I will just include a link to a really good blog post about this conference.

This is the first conference I have attended that was about "conversations" and not "sit-n-git." Each session was facilitated as a conversation with group participation. Some went better than others but I could walk away from each session with something. (That is always my goal.) Here are my random thoughts since I can't seem to organize them in any particular fashion:

There were students everywhere! The HS that hosted us used student workers for everything. They were greeters, photographers, recorders, twitter monitors, tech help, etc. You name it and the students were running it. They owned the moment.
A lot of the educators I follow on Twitter were there but I didn't recognize some from the avatar they have on Twitter. It seemed awkward at first going up to people and saying, "Hey you're @raventech! I'm @mmiller7571" That was weird. But I finally just started introducing myself the best I could.
These people were very forward thinkers about technology, education, and learning. My brain hurt because they made really good points and challenged my thinking. Especially @djakes a.k.a David Jakes. Our plane left during his presentation but I read a lot of his conversation online and I have been thinking about "Learning Spaces" ever since. What is a "learning space?" Is it the classroom? Is it a portion of the classroom? Is it the coffee shop? Is it the hallway with our A+ tutors.
Jeff Han the creator of the multi-touch screen that you see on CNN was there and I had a conversation with him and had my picture taken with him. He was there to have a discussion about how the multi-touch screen could be used in education. Turns out my answers and solutions were not revolutionary. He had heard them before:)
One of the best conversations I had was with a PD facilitator from Atlanta, GA. Angela and I met her at dinner and she gave me some ideas to share with teachers on how to use various tech tools to enhance learning and not distract from it.
I may have finally "got it" when it comes to the power of discussion and conversation. How often to I engage my teachers in reflective discussion? How can I model using discussion for learning? How do I create questions to facilitate learning through discussion and keep everyone on task? What questions do I ask and how do I know when to ask the question? These are just a few of the things that this conference stirred up in my way of thinking. I can assure you that when I was a teacher, I didn't allow my students to "discuss" as much as we discussed at Educon. Shame on me:)
This was not about how to use SMARTboards in the classroom or podcast or Flipvideo. (These things are great and I really like to do all these things:)) This was about education and student learning. It was about putting student learning FIRST. Then building out from what you want students to know and be able to do.

Below I have embedded a slide show from my pictures. (Please forgive the sideways pictures. I really did try to rotate them:)

Educon and Other stuff

2010-01-26T14:11:00.001-06:00

This is a copy of the post that I shared with my staff today in regards to Educon2.2

Faculty Meeting - Thank you for your feedback from the faculty meeting! The "exit slips" gave me lots of info. I shared some of it with Matt so he could answer some of your questions. Some didn't have names so he will have to find you or you can seek him out:)

Race to the Top - I posted some information in the workroom and below are some informative links:

Educon2.2 - This will be the 3rd year for this conference. I have participated virtually the past 2 years.

Principal, Chris Lehman explains Educon.

Main website (wikispace)
New website - I have not looked around this one yet.
Tshirts - I just think this is cool and I might have to buy a sweatshirt or something:)
Conference Schedule - We do not arrive until after 6PM so we will miss the Friday night session
Session Descriptions - I have not decided on which ones to attend. It will be hard to choose. Some I would like to attend because I have gotten to know these people online and value their way of thinking but others are more applicable. I also want to bring information back to all of you. AND I have to figure out the logistics of hosting a 500 participant technology conference.
Attendees - Information about the people who are attending. I have not been added to list and need to add myself I guess.
Meet ups - Someone just decided to organize a "get together" and posted the info and anyone can just show up I guess:)
Directions on how to attend
Links to live video feeds - I do not think these feeds will be "LIVE" until Saturday. I think that when you go to this link on Saturday you will be able to watch and participate in the conference. I think this is the 1st time using Elluminate and it is free and you click and log in and follow the directions.

The past two years I kind of just went in and out sessions to see what was going on. The difference is that there is A LOT of conversation during each session. This is not like the usual conference where you sit and git. You have to participate. I sometimes disagree and will have to try to disagree politely in person. While watching in the comfort of my home I can verbalize my disagreement however I choose:)

Of course I will enjoy my time but I will also be meeting with the event planners to find out about the logistics of something like this. I would be happy to offer something like this to teachers in our area.

You might be thinking, "Why on earth are you sharing all this with me? Just go to your conference and don't bother me!" Well......Over the past 4 years I have learned more online than I have learned in my entire professional career. I do not think it is a substitute for the face to face learning I have experienced, but it just takes it to another level. The connection that I made with our book yesterday, So Few of Me, is that I wish there was more of me to be able to do all of this too! If you try to watch the conference and it doesn't work out for you, there is another one coming up that I can help you with in advance.

Thanks for reading if you actually made it to the end of my explanation!

It's Leadership Day - 2009

2009-07-11T22:49:00.005-06:00

"Today is LEADERSHIP DAY 2009. This is a day in which Scott McLeod, a professor at Iowa State University, invites educators to share why and how we use technology in our careers." (Theresa Reagan one of many of my PLN twitter friends.:)

As a self-proclaimed technology advocate I believe that technology is only one piece of really big leadership puzzle. Throughout my technology learning I have probably done a little of a disservice to my teachers. One of the main reasons I began to use technology is to make my life run more efficiently and to help other principals. I have always said that teachers have the teacher right next door that they can go to at a moments notice. A principal on the other hand does not have a next door principal.

The most powerful benefit I found in all the Web 2.0 tools is opening the door wide to your school. If you use these tools to their potential Web. 2.0,1, 3.0 (whatever everyone wants to call it now) it can be like having a window into your child's day at school. There is absolutely no excuse for a parent not to know what is going on in their student's school....if the school is using these tools(or any webbased tool) to their advantage.

The future is today! I no longer have a tolerance for a fear of technology. Our students have figured it out so it's time to buck up!!!

Twitter Addiction - How bad have you got it?

2009-07-08T15:47:00.004-06:00

How addicted to Twitter are you? Are you willing to admit it? I actually just saw a tweet by @stevejmoore regarding a twitter addiction quiz. I don't really need a quiz to determine how bad I am.
Not so much that I actually "tweet" very often but I have to load whichever twitter application I am currently using on my iPhone, constantly, just to see if I missed anything. (Kind of like being back in HS again. Just had my 20 year reunion:)
Back up applications - "just in case:)"
iTweet
TweetDeck
Tweetie
TwitterFon - This is my current application of choice:)
Twinkle
Twitterific

It is quite ridiculous to try to "catch up" on tweets when they are coming in at 200 per 20 min.. Yet I find myself trying to scroll down through all of them at every chance that I get. That is only because I am "following" a lot of people.
I think I hit the twitter "tipping point" about 6 months ago where I really "got it." Not sure people are going to give it the old "college try" before they get to their own "tipping point." At least I can say I was a tweeter and Skyper BO! (Before Oprah)
What will be the next technology time-suck/addiction? Please don't tell me!!!

*Disclaimer - Blogging with children. Please forgive grammar and typos.

Crazy Easy Podcasting!!! OMG!!!

2009-06-11T08:04:00.002-06:00

Okay this has a waaaayyyyy cool factor! Crazy easy!

Set up a phone.io account. Call your number and leave "voicemail." Embed in blog.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Why my presentation totally TANKED!!!

2009-04-16T20:51:00.003-06:00

Have you ever presented to an important group of people to get them to think passionately about something and make a hard decision?

Well I did tonight and...IT TANKED!!!!

The purpose of my presentation was to persuade. My task was to persuade the school board to take action/make a decision on something?

My advice:(I am taking full credit for the ultimate demise of the presentation.)

When presenting in an innovative way..explain to the audience that the presentation is going to be different than presentations you have seen before. (You need to also know your audience. I think this group would have preferred bullet points, whiz/bang, charts and graphs, small print and lots of color mashing. BUT I AM NOT BITTER!!!:):):)
Explain that the handout includes the words and information, but the presentation is going to be just that, a PRESENTATION NOT A READ-A-LOUD!! (Once again, less bitter.)
Read the expression on your audience face. I probably should have stopped after the first two slides and asked for questions. The topic was a controversial topic so it really wasn't that the presentation actually tanked. The audience didn't "get it" because there were other "issues."
Pauses ??? In my research of good presentation design with PPT, I read that you should pause to let the slide speak for itself. That was awful!!! I should have just whizzed right through it after seeing the expressions on their faces. The pauses were like black holes of silence. (Ok, the other elementary principals were laughing hysterically in the back of the room. They "got it.")
Know when to use humor. Clearly I should have STOPPED and just opened it up for questions and turned the presentation off.

Regrets/reflection/reactions:

No regrets. You have to start somewhere. "Digitial immigrants"(for the lack of any newly adopted terms) need to be introduced to engaging presentations at some point. Especially if they play powerful rolls in education. It gets boring after months of "death by ppt."
Reflection - I think I am going to call in sick for the rest of the board meetings this year:)
Reactions - There were about 10 staff members in the audience that this was going to directly affect and they had the wind knocked out of their sails. I need to wake up early and buy donuts for them in the morning.

Good Night!
Melinda:)

iPhone + Document Camera - My 2 Best Friends

2009-04-07T13:26:00.003-06:00

This is my first attempt at using the document camera. Oh my gosh!
Some teachers were asking how they could use their iPhone to log their career ladder hours so I used this experiment as my first document camera recording.

*My husband calls at the end of this video. Oops:):):)

Reflections for Missouri Principals Conference

2009-03-27T12:51:00.002-06:00

This is the 2nd year that the Missouri principals conferences offered an Internet Cafe. The hotel charges $10 per day for internet connection so one day of the conference we sponsor a wifi room. This is an 8AM - 4PM open room with 3 workshops and open lab time to come and check email, get online etc.

8AM Workshop on Blogging - Poor attendance. Principals up too late the night before:) My loyal followers from my district did brave the early times and come heckle me:) Only 3 others joined us but seemed to enjoy the time.

9:00am-11:00am - This is sacred time that we cannot offer workshops so that principals have time to visit the vendors in the exhibit hall. This was open lab time and we did have some principals come in and out. I think they are considering moving this to 10:00-12:00 and offering a 9AM session. Might get more participation at a later time.

11:00-12:00 - PLN workshop - I felt this was over their head and I didn't do a very good job presenting. My thoughts were all over the place so was my presentation:) I am pretty sure not many understood Twitter at all but signed up for accounts. You have to reach a "tipping point" in Twitter to understand how powerful.

Noon - 2:00 Open Lab - Lots of people were here at this time. Some working on their own stuff but MANY wanting to know more about things I have done or was doing. This was a GREAT collaborative time. A college professor hung out for about the whole afternoon and we had awesome conversations. He just got a Mac so we were learning from each other. (Just realized I need to do a sign up sheet and start a contact list next year. Don't remember his name:))

2:00-3:00 Google Hype workshop - TOO MUCH FOR ONLY AN HOUR! I should have just picked one thing. I think I overwhelmed them and I didn't even get to everything. Principals LOVED Google but couldn't wrap their heads around it.

EXHAUSTED - Next year some other principals offered to help. This was my 2nd year and I don't schedule a break for myself or get to go to any other workshops. It is hard to give up being their for open lab time because that is when the collaboration is the greatest. But I do need to get some PD for myself. There were really good RTI sessions.

This summer I will be offering longer session of a blogging workshop and Google workshop for Admin. Seem to have a lot of interest so far. We will see what the summer brings!

Any suggestions for the future?

Principal Miller VP - Episode One

2009-03-24T09:21:00.003-06:00

Okay, I am really going out a limb here to post a video of myself. I am trying something a little different. This is taking forever to upload but says I can continue to edit while the video is uploading. I am actually alarmed by how long a 30 sec. video is taking to upload. Would love your feedback for using a something like this. Not sure how time efficient it is going to be.:):)

Didn't expect the video pic to look like this at the start:):):) Oh well.

Melinda's Blog Class

2009-03-16T07:39:00.003-06:00

Melinda is doing a great job presenting. She is probably going to regret letting me use her computer. I have complete access to all her stuff. It has taken me a minute to orientate to the mac, but I have it down now.

MAESP Blogging workshop

2009-03-16T07:33:00.001-06:00

Good Morning! I am currently show MO administrators how to blog. Boy we are having a great time and they are all wide awake at 8AM on a day away from school.

P/T Conference via Skype

2009-02-25T06:25:00.002-06:00

First let me just say that I got up early enough this morning to make it to Starbucks to make this post. Didn't seem like I was every going to post to my blog again lately.

A couple weeks ago my teachers and I had the pleasure of hosting a parent conference through Skype. I have permission from the family to share that experience. I will not be sharing the content of the conference but how it came to be.

Let me first say that I can't even imagine having my husband deployed to Iraq right now. That alone would be more than I could handle. To have 3 kids on top of that is a whole other set of issues. During one of my conversations with the mom she mentioned that they Skype her husband often. I just tucked that piece of info into the back of my mind. At one point I received an email from Dad in Iraq. I thought that it was important that we all talk so I suggested we have conference via Skype. Here some highlights/pointers if you ever need to do this:

I emailed dad my contact information and asked if he could add me as a contact over the weekend so I could be sure that everything was set by Monday morning when we met.
In my email I said I would be available 15 min. before the official conference so we could work on settings. He didn't add me over the weekend but at the designated time he added me as a contact, I accepted, and he called right on time.
Iraq time was 7:30 PM and our time was 10:30 AM
My laptop was set up on a cart with a webcam hooked up and sitting on top of the laptop. I didn't want to place my laptop too far away from the table becaue I knew it would be hard to hear if the camera was too far away and I didn't have a mic hooked up. We had to use the built in mic in the camera. Ther was limited view but I aimed the camera on the mom and her family.
Yes, the mother brought her mom and her brother to the conference. Keep in mind she is trying to raise 3 children while her husband is in Iraq. I have enough trouble raising just two with my husband home more than he is gone:):):)
Sound - Here is where we had the most trouble. Dad could not hear very well so I had to sit by the camera and pretty much yell all the information to him. One other teacher would talk loud enough he could hear her but not very well. It sounded like we were all yelling the whole time but we had to. It was not a negative yelling.
Paperwork - I would like to email the paperwork in advance this time. I read all the paperwork or explained it as we were going. I think I have enough notice this time that I could email the paperwork in advance so he has it in front of him.
Snowball Mic - I am actually going to try to use my Snowball mic this time. It has a long enough cord that I could place it in the middle of the table and he will probably be able to hear better this time.
Training on the spot - The teachers didn't realize there was a little bit of a time lag in the sound. Not huge but a couple of seconds. You can't really have a "conversation" you have to talk and then stop and wait to make sure the person on the other end heard you or has any questions. I didn't clarify this very well with the teachers before the meeting but will next time.

My advice: Keep in mind that this is the first time I have done this. Other teachers have done this alot or at least more than me and probably have better advice. My main advice is to get contected on Skype 15 min. before the actual conference is suppose to start. I also tested all my camera views that morning by calling my IT on Skype and having her watch me around the room to see where she could see and hear better. That helped a lot.

Highlight of the conference: After we were done I called for the student to come down so he could talk to his dad. He was so excited. He thought he was in trouble at first when he saw all of us but we left the room and just let them talk for a while. I also think that is why mom brought her family so they could all talk to him.

There are way too many ways to include parents that are unconventional that we need to take advantage of.

Visit to another school...Warsaw, MO

2009-02-17T10:26:00.003-06:00

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

You've Gotta Start Somewhere

2009-02-16T19:57:00.003-06:00

As the old saying goes...You've gotta start somewhere...That somewhere for me is going to be the Colorado Conversation this weekend.

All the virtual conferences/webcasts/podcasts etc. have been so beneficial that I want to share that with others. Especially my teachers.

Below is the email I sent our district about hosting the Colorado Conversation "virtually" in Missouri. If you read my blog and you live close by, feel free to join us. You will need to fill out the form below so I can keep an accurate count.

So far I have 10 signed up!!!

"Willard Staff,
Free PD is filling up!!
This is just a reminder email regarding this coming
Saturday PD opportunity. Below are the details and form
for you to sign up that you are attending.

Sat. Feb.21st 9AM-1PM Library Station

This will be very informal. Panera next door. You are
welcome to come and go.

I will have PD forms signed for you to receive credit.
What: Live streaming into a technology conference in
Colorado. ((There are MANY live workshops/conferences
every day that you can attend in the comfort of your own
home. We will attend this one together and then you will
be able to "attend" on your own in the future:)

BYOL - Bring your own laptop and headphones. I will have
some extras if needed. You need to have wireless
capabilities.
Link to conference topics you can choose from.
http://colearning.wikispaces.com/Session+Descriptions
I will set you up but you can "attend" any session you
would like.

Please click on the link below and fill out the form if
you plan to attend. I need to get an estimate of how many
will be attending.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pG2Qnp235jydfbOhGq7OnDQ&hl=en

Feel free to email me if you have any questions. I will be
sending a clarifying email before the end of the week.

Melinda Miller, Principal
Willard East Elementary"

Input Re: Pre-Packaged School Supplies

2009-02-03T12:40:00.004-06:00

For the past 5 years I have been in charge of our district's elementary school supply list. This is the supply list that is given to the children at the beginning of the year and posted at all the school supply stores in the fall.

This year our committee decided to investigate pre-packaged school supplies. As you will see in the feedback I received, this means a lot of different things to a lot of different people/schools.

I requested feedback from Missouri principals by sending and email through our elementary principals association. Approximately 600 principals were emailed and many responded with info or that they too wanted the info that I collected.

ANONYMOUS - I copy and pasted all of the information into a google document and the link is included below. By clicking on the link you can view all the input that was emailed to me.

ROUGH DRAFT - My apologies for the mess of the document. There is so much information that I do not have time to reformat everything and get the information out in a timely manner.

DISCLAIMER - If you would like to know more information from a particular school (they are only identified by number in the document) email me and I can put you in contact with that school.

School Supply Feedback Link

I've been "tagged" - 7 things:):):)

2009-01-31T07:34:00.002-06:00

NASCAR FAN - I find that people are shocked when they find out that I LOVE to watch car races. It's not just NASCAR necessarily, however that is my favorite. But I just love watching and going to car races.

Scrapbook-aholic - Since I never have time to scrapbook anymore, i.e. have children:), I seem to have become a "scrapbook supply collector." This means I still buy the stuff but never actually scrapbook:):) Kind of like buying clothes that you never wear.

Tech Geek Wanna-be - I love all technology in all it's forms but I often need lots of help to figure things out. Bought a MAC because of peer pressure from @scottelias and still don't know all the bells and whistles of having one:):) Just because I podcast, blog, twitter, FB, etc. doesn't mean I know how to "program" :)

Starbucks Addict - Pretty self explanatory!

Homesick - My husband's family and my family are 4 and 6 hours away. Sometimes I just need a "mom-fix" to see my mom and hang out. I don't think I would ever move back but I wish I could see them more often. That's why we live for Skyping.

I am an indoors person - I wish we could afford to pay a landscaper to plant beautiful flowers and fix our yard up all fancy. Dirt, grass, bugs, extreme cold or hot, allergies etc. keep me from embracing my inner-"green." We support recycling and environmental awareness as long as I don't have to be outside:):):) Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons.

Harley Envy - I want a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Let me rephrase that and say I WILL SOMEDAY HAVE ONE. That kind of contradicts my last "thing." My parents have had Harley's for over 10 years now. I used to go on rides with my dad before I had kids and it was so relaxing. Only day long rides for me. Not road-trips and vacations.

There you have it! A once in a lifetime look into the REAL Melinda Miller:):):)

WE Assessment Wall - Uncut

2009-01-27T20:44:00.003-06:00

Disclaimers - 1st posted video, unedited=point and shoot, turn up your volume

WE Assessment Wall - Uncut from Melinda Miller on Vimeo.

February Teacher Motivation

2009-01-19T15:22:00.011-06:00

The month of February can be a loooooooong month! Sometime there are no breaks to look forward to. Judy Domeny Bowen sings about the February Teacher Blues in her album Teacher Therapy. What better way to liven up the month than to have a little fun?:)

The idea for Fabulous Friday's in February came from a colleague of mine that is a principal at on the other Willard Schools. Rhonda does Fabulous February and does something for each day of the month. I am not able to keep up with that so i just do Fridays. You would have to decide what works for you. With everything that is going on with our economy and all the job stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Maybe you can tweak this to work for your school.

This year we are going to have a theme.."Guess Who?" You may have done a rendition of this in your school but I am going to lump them all together into 4 Fridays.
Below is the letter to the teachers. I put this on fancy Valentine paper and then put it in their mailboxes.

"We have a theme this year!!! Below is a list of the Fridays in February and the PICTURE that you need to bring to participate. Nikki will be creating a bulletin board outside the office that we will change weekly to display our mystery pictures. This is meant to be as little work for you as possible. Just for fun!!!

You can start turning your pictures in to Nikki ASAP. If you do not have a picture you are welcome to check out my digital camera to take some.

Each week there will be a “form/test” that goes with each theme for you to guess and turn in your answers. Since this will be in the hallway you are welcome to have your students help or play along.

Feb. 6 - Guess who's...Feet?
Feb. 13 - Guess who's...Spouse/Significant other?
Feb. 20 - Guess who's...Pet?
Feb. 27 - Guess who's...on Vacation?

Secret Pals: We also have Secret Pals in February. This has been a lot of fun in the past so if you have never “played” let this be your year to try it out. Someone from Service Committee will come around for you to draw your secret pal Jan. 30 and the sneakyness begins Feb. 2nd. We will have the BIG REVEAL Monday February 23 after school. Everyone is welcome to come to the BIG REVEAL"

Assessment Wall Pre-Post

2009-01-17T14:11:00.005-06:00

You may be wondering a "pre-post" is. Well let me just explain. I have been wanting to post about our assessment wall since November and it never works out. Yesterday I used my Flip video camera to record the wall and tell about it and now my Flip video camera doesn't work AGAIN!!! Already sent it back once.

An assessment wall is something that I heard about 3-5 years ago. Some of the schools that are going through the Missouri Reading Initiative have the walls. It is a very visual way to see where all the students in our school fall in reading ability. You can incorporate other subject areas into the wall but our focus is reading.

The picture above is our wall in it's infancy back in November. I have better pictures of it now that will be in my "real post" about this wall:):):) I hope to have close up pictures or a video that you can see and understand what it is all about.

Here are the basics: (Kindergarten is "yellow" and they are not on the wall in the above picture.)

I have 375 students and I am using 5 pocket charts. 4 on one wall and one on the end wall.
Each grade level is a different color index card.
There are dot stickers on each card to note charateristics of each student. (Red dot = girls, blue dot = boys, yellow dot = IEP, bright blue dot = new student and so on. I hope to be more clear in the next post.)
Students names and reading levels are on the BACK of each card.
I have 4 of each grade level so each card also has to have a designation mark for each teacher. (Sounds complicated but I think you will understand.)
At the very top I have sentence strips that show the range of where each grade level should be.
The black with red letters is the guided reading level.
The yellow row at the very top of the pocket chart is the DRA level.

Now I am going to go look around my building and see if I can find one of the teachers' flip video cameras that I bought them and try to record with one of their cameras. I may even have the "real post" up by the end of the day.

iPhone "App-Aholic"

2009-01-07T11:30:00.004-06:00

I always wonder what application other people are using on their iPhones. Recently an article I read talked about how applications are being downloaded for the "wow" factor to show off to your friends. Having just done this by showing someone iFart (Yes I downloaded this moronic program for fun.) What are others downloading? I am not as interested in the "fun" programs as I am in the productivity type programs.

Here's what's on my iPhone: (That I use most often/regularly)

News - I read these in the wee hours of the morning or late night while I am laying down with my kids

USA Today

New York Times

Social Networking- This is for Twitter. I can't keep up very well but every now and then I can scroll back through to the past post I read and see what has been going on.

Twinkle
Tweetie - Love the "favorites" option so I can star tweets with links I can use later.
Twitterific

Productivity- I don't consider myself very productive lately but these are what I try to go by.

Things
Grocery IQ - This also has a "favorites" option so I do not have reenter everything every week
Fast Notes - I have been using this to document walk-through observations informally. It is for me to keep on track of being visible in the classroom. I can look back and see what classrooms I need to visit.
Evernote - This is awesome for taking pictures and writing a note on them.
Easy Writer - This is to write email in landscape mode.

Miscellaneous - I'll try to explain each of these.

The Weather Channel - This is awesome to help me plan mine and my kids wardrobes for the week.
Google - Use this for Google reader
Kodak Gallery - My family uploads to Kodak so I have to use this as my photo album instead of a paper wallet photo album.
Facebook - Need I explain. See previous post
Backgrounds - I change my background all the time just for fun.
Bankar...Lite - I am trying to keep track of every single dime I spend to see where my money is going (Starbucks, nails, donuts etc.:))
AceBudget - I can enter a budget for Starbucks and then see when I get to my limit:):):)
Lose It - Keeps track of your calories. Haven't used it much yet.
DarkSlide - Flickr App - Haven't used much but I think it is fixed.
LinkedIn - A MO Supt. started a group on LinkedIn but it hasn't really taken off yet.
WordPress - Just in case I want to post to my staff blog.
Flashlight - Since I never know where I am going to end up for the night (I have two daughters that don't sleep through the night) I sleep with my iPhone under my pillow as an alarm that I can take from room to room. I use this so I don't have to turn the lights on.
VoiceNotes - So far I have only recorded my daughters because their voices and laughter are so fun right now
Drinks Free - Need I say more:):):)

Games - I guess mostly for my daughter or long drives in the car.

LightSaber - One of my teachers has this and we are going to "battle" some day when her kids earn a reward for something.
Bejeweled - Game to play in car and at Board meetings
MotoChaser - I am terrible at this
Flick Bowling - My 3 year old can now play this a little bit
PaperFootball - Don't play much anymore
iFish - For my husband but he now has the iTouch.
Animals - For Alyson
Scribble - My 3 year old LOVES this one.
Dice - You shake your iPhone and the dice rattle. Very fun.
iFart - Just because it's funny, sort of.

Well there you have it! Maybe this will help you choose some programs. I haven't been keeping track of the prices of these which is why I need the Bankar programs. What are you using?

Facebook Junkie

2009-01-05T16:00:00.000-06:00

Over the holiday break I added ONE MORE THING TO KEEP TRACK OF! AHHHHHH!!! Facebook. Now I am an addict!

Beginning - I actually joined Facebook last year at this time by peer pressure from Scott Elias my podcasting friend from Colorado. At the time I didn't really "get into it" because of the time factor and I already try to keep up with blogging and twitter. Well...my mom called me a couple of weeks ago and said that my younger brother's "status" on Facebook had changed to "in a relationship." Of course this is very interesting to me because what better way to make fun of your younger brother than online for everyone to see.(Just kidding) I guess that also intrigued my older brother into signing up too. So keeping with the competitive nature of our family, I HAD to sign on, of course:):):)

Having no idea what I was doing I posted some ridiculus "status updates" a few times. Of course I then downloaded the app for my iphone and all is history now. The really cool things is the amount of people that I have lost track of over the years that are now on Facebook. I can see their family pictures and what they are up to and everything. We are in the middle of planning our 20 year class reunion and it is a great way to make connections with old classmates.

Middle...I guess I will just continue to "be friends" with everyone. At first my goal was to have more "friends" than my brothers. But once I figured out what it was all about I don't really care how many friends I have I just enjoy catching up with old friends.

End...There is no end in sight once you are hooked on Facebook. I can see how people come and go to their accounts because it can be so addicting. There are a lot of people that I wish were on Facebook and I will now start mission of converting them:):):)

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-02T15:18:00.005-06:00

If I were any good at keeping at New Year's resolutions mine would be to blog post regularly. Unfortunately this year I have been so busy I haven't made any new year's resolutions. Yipeeee!!! Oh, I have some swirling around in my head...the old faithfuls...lose weight, save money, be a better wife and mother, be more thankful outloud, etc. I will work on all of these as will all of you.

(I haven't finished my project pictured to the left. If I wait til the cups are filled I won't have time to write this post. So this is a "post-on-the-fly"!)

Today I am working quietly in my office. B.C. = Before children I was so good at little "feel good" things for my teachers like treats on their desks and notes of thanks or good job. A.C. = After Children I am terrible with all that. I want to do it but I can't even get the diaper bag packed some nights. Well at least I am off to a good start...sort of.

With the all that is going on the world I feel it is going to be a challenge to keep my teachers motivated and keep their eye on the "prize," the children. I know it is even hard for me at times. Today I bought some "cute" border paper and wrote a Happy New Year's letter to leave on their desks for their return. I bought the plastic champagne glasses at the party store and will fill them with chocolate and place them with the letter on their desks. It is just a small motivational letter about remembering that we are making a difference.

After reading Dave Sherman's post about his blogging story, I have reflected on mine. The sole purpose I feel that I started blogging was to share tangible/doable ideas with other principals in hopes that they would share-back. It has worked! Lots of ideas come from my "network" and I am very appreciative of all of it. I just hope that I "give back" enough to them.

Thankful for few office referrals

2008-11-25T15:23:00.004-06:00

Principals do not tend to discuss how many or few office referrals they have per year, semester, week, quarter etc. My office has seemed pretty quiet lately but I needed some data to see if what I thought was happening was a reality. And it is!!!

Last year at this time our students had accumulated 53 negative office visits. So far this year I have only had 19 negative office referrals. To me that is awesome! But is it really? I wouldn't know because it is not usually a topic of conversation among administrators. I wish I knew if this was a high or low number. Do any of you get data on your school discipline numbers?

I shared this information with my staff last night as a celebration. I attribute this to the quality of my teachers and the relationships they build with their students. Yes, I have had some "unofficial" conversations with some students, but that usually nips the problem in the bud so to speak. Yes, my teachers have come to me for advice about situations and sometimes my advice has been to "send them to the office." Some events need documentation. I truly believe that my teachers put up with a lot and/or develop positive working relationships in their classrooms and with their school families that makes our numbers so small.

The current issue of Educational Leadership is about "Data, Now What?" I have not read all the articles yet but they look great and I hope to read them over the break. So what do I do with these numbers? It is my intention to put this in front of the teachers again at collaborative team meetings/grade level meetings. I will ask, "What are you doing in your classroom that is working?" "Can we share this information with others?" Teachers need credit for this because they are doing good things and in turn good things are happening with our students.