March2014

vol. 2

march 2014

Fulton County School System

INSIDER Dunwoody Elementary School - it’s where coding is cooler than lunch Visit Dunwoody Springs Elementary School during lunch on any given day and you might not notice that there are a few students missing from class tables here and there. But you might see some students hurriedly going through the line to grab a tray of food before leaving the cafeteria and scurrying down the hallway. Besides their fast pace, the only clue you’ll find as to where they’re going is the blue badges they wear that proudly say, “Nerds are Cool!” These students are members of a secret society of sorts; they’re members of the Code Busters Club, and they’re out to prove that learning to code is cool.

The brainchild of TAG teacher Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, Code Busters is a pilot program that is teaching 30 fourth grade students how to code. There are two separate groups of 15 students, and each group meets two days a week during their lunch time to practice their coding skills.

DREAM CLASSROOM CADRE

TECH-SAVVY TEACHERS

MEET YALANDA BELL

FACE OF FULTON

Teachers spend day creating a dream classroom

Find out what technology looks like in Fulton classrooms

Bell is new Executive Director of Career & Technical Education

Meet this month’s award winner from Palmetto ES, Kiana Willis

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a publication of Fulton County Schools

2 “Research has shown that coding helps students with critical thinking skills and problem solving,” Dawkins-Jackon says. “I really wanted that for our students, and I feel fortunate that when I approached my principal with this idea that she let me do it.”

I grow up,” she says. For this fourth-grader, that means designing video games and other “things like that.”

Dawkins-Jackson knew she wanted to focus on coding, but she needed the right program. After a little research she found Tynker, a self-paced program with lessons and assessments that actually teaches programming. Thanks to the school’s partnership with Georgia State University, they were able to get a grant for a premium subscription that will take the Code Busters through a 16-week program.

For selfproclaimed video game addict Bre’one Dupree Wimbush, it’s all about the screen time.

According to Dawkins-Jackson, the goal for the kids is to write a code. With Tynker, they’re challenged to make the same action happen with less bricks and less moves (Think Tetris because it looks a lot like the popular video game).

The club officially launched during Computer Science Education Week with more interested students than space available.

Students bring their lunch to a designated classroom where small laptops are set up for each one of them. They eat lunch while coding.

And students don’t earn credit for the pilot; they’re doing it because they want to, but they all seem to have different reasons for being there.

“I just think it’s really cool – it challenges your mind and you can eat while you’re playing,” says student Samantha ReyesTorres. “It’s good to get together with friends and work on the computer.”

According to Reyes-Torres, Code Busters has even opened her eyes to new future career possibilities.

“I’ve always wanted to be a ballerina, but now I’m inspired to be a computerist when

“Computers are awesome,” he exclaims. “I’m a nerd.

I’m a geek. I’m here because I like to play on computers.”

And then there are students like Sneha Dhokte who seems to have inherited her love of technology.

“My father is a computer engineer and always wants me to learn about technology, so I thought Code Busters would be a good chance,” she explains. “I like the fact that you get to understand how to program; even though they’re games, you’re trying to program an object or person to move or do certain things. I like that you’re learning but having fun.”

Dawkins-Jackson isn’t surprised by the students’ reactions.

“It’s amazing how much they like it,” she says. “I have an RTI enrichment group I meet with daily after school. They participated in the national Hour of Code and have been asking me ever since when we’re going back to coding.”

Dawkins-Jackson says she does have a goal of integrating coding into RTI so students can create games, storyboards and

animated stories to align with their math curriculum.

But for now, she’s focusing on expanding the Code Busters.

She’d like to offer the program each semester and rotate students so more can be exposed to it. In order to do that, she’ll need more funding – additional support she’s hoping will come in the form of a STEM grant she’s applying for.

While she may not know for sure where the extra money will come from, she’s certain as to why she needs it.

“We serve a unique population at Dunwoody Springs,” she says. “Code Busters gives us another opportunity to talk about Common Core and the importance of being career-ready. There’s just so much they can do, and that’s why it’s important to expose them to the different possibilities now.”

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Teachers living the dream in new Dream Classroom Cadre A former teacher at Ridgeview Charter Middle School, Susan Fisher was flipping before flipping was cool. After leaving the classroom to move to Professional Learning, she found herself teaching a session on the dream classroom model (her vision for combining flipping, gamification and project based learning in an inspired classroom setting) last summer during Fulton’s Building Our Future seminar. The demand exceeded her expectations with more people interested in the session than seats were available.

“Principals who attended the Building Our Future session were generally hearing about flipping in detail for the first time and wanted me to come present the dream model to their staffs,” she says. “That wasn’t logistically possible, so we created public sessions for all interested teachers throughout the county and the demand was very high”.

According to Fisher, they were only able to take and train 200 of the 1,000 who applied.

“That’s when we knew we needed to come up with a way to reach more people,” she says.

The next step was to create a Dream Classroom Cadre, which gave Fisher the chance to develop flipping, gaming and differentiation through technology experts who can go back to their schools and share their knowledge with their colleagues.

According to Fisher, the Dream Classroom

model hones in on creating a flipped and Inspired classroom, shifting the focus off of traditional teacher-led lectures and moving the emphasis to student generated learning through collaboration and independent application.

To determine who would be members of the inaugural cadre class, Fisher started with a simple question: “What’s your dream?” Some teachers were interested in flipping their classroom, some wanted to start by flipping one unit and there were others who were interested in blogging or gamification.

The application process closed and a group of 21 teachers emerged – members of Fulton County’s first Dream Classroom Cadre. They’re a group of innovative and tech-savvy teachers who are leaders for their peers.

Cadre members met as a group on February 28 and spent an entire day working on making their dreams a reality.

For teachers like Amber Manganelli from Hopewell Middle School, being a part of the cadre meant having the time and support to work on flipping, something she started thinking about a year ago.

“My hope is to be able to reach learners who aren’t engaged and to get them thinking,” she says. “Susan makes it seem easy, and she gives you the tools and resources to make it possible for people with all levels of technical expertise.”

Cliftondale Elementary School teacher Shoni Pittman is no stranger to flipping - she started using the strategy with homework and is building from there.

“Students are so technologically advanced and they seem to learn better if we add in a technology component,” she says.

Other teachers like Robin Butler from Autrey Mill Middle School spent the day working on blogging and incorporating it into instruction.

“You can’t be afraid to let students write in a different way,” Butler explains. “Their writing is still good, and blogging is where writing is happening right now.”

Northwood Elementary School fifth grade teacher Anne Kiely is working on online portfolios for students.

“Kids think differently, and technology needs to be embedded into what they’re learning,” she says.

Kiely is working on multiple intelligences by creating online portfolios to help her students stay organized and to have access to resources they need while at home.

Fisher hopes to have a Dream Cadre Open House next fall for teachers and administrators from around the county to see cadre members in action.

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Today’s tech-savvy teachers Find out how technology is being utilized in Fulton classrooms Kati Searcy The QR Code Queen To say that Mountain Park Elementary teacher Kati Searcy is comfortable with technology would be an understatement. But that wasn’t always the case.

A 28-year teaching veteran, Searcy decided to embrace technology when she saw the potential impact for students.

“Kids aren’t uncomfortable with technology because it’s part of their lives; when they leave here they’re surrounded by it,” she says. “I try to make the technology seamless, so it’s just a part of our class and not extra work for them.”

Searcy joined the Discovery Educator Network, the DEN, (http://www. discoveryeducation.com/community/) and says she learned more in a week at the DEN Summer Institute than she did in an entire degree program.

And now she’s regarded as one of the go-to sources for learning how to incorporate technology into instruction. And for good reason.

Searcy facilitated an economic unit, “TAG Town,” where all students had a job and were assigned a random family. Students earned a paycheck, paid taxes and even played the lottery to learn people don’t win money. The cumulation activity was to plan a family vacation with $1,500. She used QR

Codes to steer students towards travel and entertainment choices.

“QR codes are a great way to differentiate without students realizing you’re doing it because the codes look alike,” she says.

Students in Searcy’s classroom are also used to creating movies. Fourth graders created paper slide videos to explain the causes of the American Revolution with each group focusing on a different cause. Searcy says she encouraged them to avoid text so they could talk about it while presenting.

For another unit, “Kitchen Chemistry,” the class documented their experiments along the way. They also used a class Twitter account to send tweets to parents to show them what they’re learning. For the same unit, second graders toured the school kitchen and created an Animoto movie about the experience.

“Yes, students are comfortable with technology, but someone has to teach them how to use the tools,” she advises. “Don’t be afraid to lose control. If you see something you like or would like to learn how to do, find someone on your staff or a parent or student who can help. It takes a time commitment just like anything else.”

Searcy says she spends 30 minutes each day searching for meaningful, innovative way for students to use technology in a transformative way. She gladly shares her discoveries with her colleagues. To find out what she’s using in her classroom, visit her blog at katisearcy.weebly.com. In addition, if you need to add some items to your classroom, visit Ipevo.com. This website has a teacher wishpool where you can make a wish for an item and, if selected, receive it free of charge.

Ann Alvarez The Movie Maestro For Heards Ferry Elementary teacher Ann Alvarez, creating digital media products with iMovie and other apps has been a gamechanger for students.

“I’ve been tying movies into writing,” she explains. “Some kids aren’t natural writers but are natural speakers. Creating digital media products differentiates on many levels.”

According to Alvarez, it also helps her to evaluate students based on the literarcy standards.

“By creating movies, they can show their opinions on something and back it up with pictures,” she says. “Sometimes I let them use words with their projects and other times I don’t, but it’s always really interesting to see how they can be persuasive without using words. “ Alvarez says she’s also a fan of video because it allows students to showcase their personalities and demonstrate that they know the content .

“It really speaks to personalized learning – especially for special ed students,” she says.

“And creating instructional videos helps them master content at a deeper level.”

Alvarez has a few tools of the trade that she relies on in her classroom. The first is a set of iPads. Thanks to the school’s PTO, Heards Ferry has a set of iPad carts – one cart per grade level.

5 “The iPad gives them the ability to be mobile and to communicate with each other collaboratively,” she says. “It also gives them the ability to be free and move, which enhances their creativity. Why not let them drive their learning a bit?”

AirDrop is another one of her favorite tools that she utilizes with reading.

“For an assignment, students have to demonstrate fluency in reading,” she says.

“Instead of reading to each other, they want to video themselves reading and then airdrop it to me.”

Alvarez says she embraces technology in the classroom because it lets students gain a deeper buy-in to their academics.

“They’re more vested in their own academic success and academic growth and they push their boundaries that way,” she says.

“It helps them reach a higher level of critical thinking and problem solving. As a teacher, you’ve got to step back and let go and let them create because that’s a part of their learning.”

Marisa Wesker The Google Guru Autrey Mill Middle School social studies teacher Marisa Wesker utilizes a variety of technology applications in her classroom – geocaching, BYOD, QR codes and Google forms. She has also flipped her classroom.

“You can’t be afraid of technology because it’s a great way to reach this generation,” she says.

One of her latest and favorite ways she’s utilizing technology for instruction is using Google forms for formative assessments.

“It’s so easy to use and it gives you instant, real-time results you can use to differentiate instruction the same day,” she explains.

Wesker is drawing kids deeper into the content she’s teaching by using

online forums like Today’s Meet for class discussions. Students in her class recently completed a project where they used Padlet to have a sticky note conversation with a historical figure they researched.

According to Wesker, using technology in the classroom opens up an entire new world of possibilities for kids. For teachers who haven’t fully embrace the idea of a techdriven classroom, she has some words of wisdom to pass along.

“Start small and choose just one thing new that you’d like to try,” she advises. “The secret though is to know why you’re choosing it.

The answer can’t be because it sounds cool – you have to think in advance what you want out of it.”

Marissa Bohan The iPad Einstein Marissa Bohan has only been teaching for two years, but she hasn’t been counting the time because she’s been busy leaving her mark. A language arts teacher at Creekside High School, Bohan serves on Fulton’s Vanguard Team and was just chosen as the school’s Teacher of the Year.

Bohan is a leader in her school when it comes to incorporating technology into instruction. Her “go-to” tech tools include iPads, Google, Remind 101, Today’s Meet and Padlet.

“I’m such a fan of Remind 101 that they should pay me to be their spokesperson,” she says jokingly. “I use it all the time because it’s a great way to send students messages as I remember things they need to know.”

Thanks to a class set of iPads she received this year, she’s using them to have kids read and annotate texts instead of with paper and pencil.

“It’s their future, and we’re supposed to prepare them for a future that’s unknown,” she says. “Technology is a way of problem solving, and I embrace it because you feel like you’re always learning, always developing and solving problems as you go.”

Bohan says she can’t imagine what her classroom will look like in five years, but she is clear on what her goal is.

“My ultimate goal is to have a paperless classroom,” she says. “And I want my classroom to be one where students are leading the way and exercising more choice in curriculum development.”

Bohan is also hoping next year to use Google Drive for the writing process. She envisions having students research and work together on an essay – each student working on a different part at the same time.

“I could be giving them feedback as they’re working,” she says. “I also think it would really get them into the metacognitive process.”

But it’s not just students Bohan is influencing with her passion for technology; she’s helping her fellow teachers as well.

Once a month she holds Tech Talks for faculty where she focuses on a different tool or application. And her advice is simple.

“Take baby steps because there are so many different things to choose from,” she says. “Start where you are, even if it’s just learning how to turn an iPad on. Growth in technology is personal because we’re all at different places.”

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Calling all tech experts: the Vanguard Team wants you The Vanguard Team is a group of elite teachers, media and educational technology instructors, and district/ school leaders who have mastered the art of technology integration with classroom instruction. As technology innovators, they will build capacity for Fulton’s technology strategic initiative which is to, “ensure student access to technologies that support innovative instruction”. All Vanguard Team members will participate in several days of professional development focusing on effective coaching strategies with the implementation of transformative uses of technology.

In return, all members will provide professional development to their school and other Fulton County Schools. They are growing their group and are looking for all interested individuals to apply. The application deadline is April 11.

Wondering what’s going on in the Instructional Technology Department?

Subscribe to the department’s Remind101 text alerts to get the most updated alerts and announcements. They’ll let you know about webinars, professional learning opportunities and more.

How to sign up for Fulton I.T. Dept.'s Instructional Tech Updates messages:

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Team for LIVE

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Twitter chats each week Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. the Vanguard Team talks about instructional technology and support each other as a professional learning network. #fcsvanguard

the subject line.

Hoke Wilcox , Director

Stephanee Stephens, Program Specialist

Justin Castile, Virtual Learning Coordinator

Shanika Thomas, Professional Assistant III

Visit the department website to learn more: WHAT IS REMIND101 AND WHY IS IT SAFE? Mindy Ramon, Training Support https://employees.fultonschools.org/ Remind101 is a one-way text messaging and email system. With Remind101, all personal information remains Coordinator academics/landt/InstructionalTechnology completely confidential. Teachers will never see your phone number, nor will you ever see theirs.

Visit www.remind101.com to learn more.

Michelle Easley, Media Services Program Specialist

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Meet Fulton’s new Career & Technical Education executive director Yalanda Bell Like many professionals who work in a school system’s central office, new Career & Technical Education (CTE) executive director Yalanda Bell began her career in the classroom.

Bell worked for Gwinnett County Public Schools for 10 years as a marketing teacher before moving to Gwinnett’s CTE department. She was only in that position for a year before the job in Fulton opened.

“I was really lucky because I had a director who believed in cultivating leadership,” she says. “She was the one who recommended me for the job; she believed in me and told me I should do it.”

She’s only been with Fulton County Schools for a few months, but she’s already establishing not only short term goals, but long term ones as well.

She has been spending her time understanding Fulton’s existing programs and meeting the CTE teachers. Her long term goals include expanding the programs offered and focusing on differentiated methods of instruction.

“I’m interested in blending learning and figuring out ways to embed credit within academic programs,” she explains. “For example, I visited a school where biology and computer science were intertwined.”

Bell’s loyalty to the University of Georgia runs deep as she has been very involved with the university. In her spare time, she is pursuing a doctorate at UGA. Soon she’ll be a “Triple Dawg,” having earned three degrees from the university. As an undergraduate, she was also a member of the women’s choir while attending the university.

A little known fact about Bell is she spent some time as a child star.

“When I was young, they were holding auditions to be a member of a Christian recording group,” she says. “I tried out and joined The Backyard Gang for several years.”

$ Financial fun FACTS $ Cell

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Are Cell Phones Eating Away Your Family’s Budget?

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Have you looked over your budget recently to see where your money is going? According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, more of your monthly budget is likely going to telephone services than in the past.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently released data showing that spending on phone services rose more than 4% in 2011 with the average household spending $1,226 annually, and spending is expected to increase in the coming years.

Here are some tips for keeping your cell phone spending in check: Track your usage and make sure your plan fits your needs.

Check around with other companies to see if they have a more cost efficient plan. Even if you signed a contract, the cancellation fee may be less than what you would save.

If you work for a large business or corporation, or are a college student or senior citizen, you may be eligible for a discount with the major wireless carriers.

When available, connect your phone to Wi-Fi, which is free to use and doesn’t use up data.

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I am the

Face of Fulton I always provide my students with the most engaging lessons.

My lessons are innovative and student centered.

After school, I can be found tutoring students free of charge.

I spend my weekends attending students’ extra-curricular events.

Kiana Willis

I believe in nurturing the “whole” child.

Teacher

I am a “Do What It Takes” person.

I love being a teacher – I love my students and my Palmetto family.

Palmetto Elementary School

I AM the Face of Fulton County Schools.

Do you work with someone who deserves to be next month’s Face of Fulton? Nominate him or her today by sending an email to faceoffulton@fultonschools.org. Be sure to give examples of why your nominee deserves this honor. All nominations due the last day of the month.

786 Cleveland Avenue S.W. • Atlanta, Georgia 30315-7229 404-768-3600 • www.fultonschools.org Equalopportunityemployerandserviceprovider.Reasonableaccommodationsandmodificationsmadefordisabled.404-763-4585TTY1-800-255-0135