In February when I saw the list of summer professional development opportunities from our local educational service center, "Sketchnoting with Sylvia Duckworth" jumped off the screen. I immediately registered for the chance to learn from a master! I've had an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil for 3 years, but I hadn't taken enough time to find an appropriate app and practice digital drawing.  This week the dream became a reality and I was able to attend the Sketchnoting World Tour. I showed up early and sat in the front because I didn't want to be distracted! 

We started with analog (or pen and paper) doodles with our neighbor. Back-and-forth drawing enabled us to loosen up and get to know the people at our table. The light bulb was the doodle that I started. Didn't it turn out cute?

Our next activity was to draw a self portrait in under a minute. This timed exercise was to get us ready to doodle quickly and not get too caught up with perfection or details. This was really hard! There wasn't time to erase and my perfectionist tendencies were in turmoil. As you can tell below, my eyes were the last thing I worked on! 

The next activity was so much worse! We had to take a picture our our neighbor and draw a portrait in a minute as well. It's one thing to make yourself look crazy, but you don't want to make another person look crazy. Thankfully, my neighbor was super nice and gracious with her portrait! ​
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Meet Luann Hughes, Senior Executive Director of Technology for Rockwall ISD. She was a joy to sit beside and very complimentary of my drawings!

Then it was time to learn! For us iPad and touchscreen Chromebook users, Sylvia showed us how to set up our digital paper in the Autodesk Sketchbook app. There are layers so she showed us how to create a grid on the first layer that can be deleted when the sketch is done. I loved having the grid to help align my doodles and make them symmetrical. Then she took us through her doodles...and boy, does she have a TON of free resources available! More on that in a bit...

You can tell from these first drawings that I had to get my pen width down and then I was off! She moved quickly because sketchnoting isn't supposed to be perfect. Hard lesson for me! I kept hitting the "undo" button...but I was thankful for an "undo" button which those with paper and gel pens didn't have! At the bottom, I had some leftover "grid" that I added to the drawing layer, not the back layer, and that was a lesson learned. I wanted all of my doodles on one page, but that didn't work out, so I had to make 2 more pages. (see below)

I think I did pretty great doodling with the iPad for the first time!

A bonus for the session was a FREE copy of Sylvia's second book. Of course I had to get it signed!
This book basically outlines the session I attended where she discusses the "why" about sketchnoting with students plus gives step by step directions on doodles. I referred to the book often when working on  my final project for the day...

TAAA DAAA! She gave us time to work on sketching plus challenged us with a choice of activities. I chose the "My Selfie Sketchnote" activity and had SO. MUCH. FUN. creating it! I have a few things I want to add plus I want to add some labels, but overall, it's a great start! I think I need to start sketching everywhere I go now. 

So, where can you get your hands on these resources? Browse to sylviaduckworth.com and check out the #sketchnotefever tab where she shares her doodles both in video and Google Slides form. The Resources tab has ALL of her presentations linked! Plus, the links to purchase her books is there too! Are you intrigued? I would love to hear how you plan to use sketchnoting with your students! Comment below!

Keeping it Techy,
​Heather

As a former Kindergarten teacher, I know that germs are everywhere. The last thing I wanted to do was catch a fever. In my current role, there is a tool that I would love to share, watch spread, and catch on as a full-blown fever! Yes, I have #flipgridfever! 

I know this isn't a new tool and I have used it for a little over a year now, but only with administrators and teachers. I want to see this tool in the hands of our students! So I planned an after-school training with teachers to show them how to use the tool and more importantly, how to use it effectively within a lesson. To entice them to join me, I always provide some sort of snack, but I also created Flipgrid recording "studios" based on an idea that I saw on Twitter:

I'm thankful to Flipgrid for sharing customizable, pre-made training materials on their site! The Slides deck from my training session is linked on my Trainings page at www.techykilgore.com/trainings.html.  Check it out for a list of ideas on how to implement Flipgrid based on the grade level you teach! 

Comment below and tell me how you are using Flipgrid in your classroom. I would love to hear your ideas!

Keeping it Techy,
Heather

Sometimes God has to break you down to strip you of your pride and bring you to a place of humility. He has to cause upheaval in your life so that you come to Him for clarity and guidance. This happened to me recently and I am thankful for a perfect God with perfect plans for my life.

A few weeks ago, I experienced a breakdown. Professionally, I was put in my "place" so to speak. Not only by the actions and reactions of others, but by my own survey of my work. My perception was not reality and it hurt. I went home after work that evening and I took the time that I needed to grieve the good work that I thought I had done, and pray for guidance on where to rebuild. What to concentrate on. The word that kept coming to mind was FOCUS.

But what exactly did this mean? Wasn't I focused? No, I wasn't. 

When you are the "bridge" between the Technology Department and the Curriculum & Instruction (iCAT) Department and essentially report to two directors, you aren't focused. You are reactive. You work to wear the hats of both departments without really building your own niche. Sure, I have built some programs and done some great things, but not many of them have sustained. 

​When I was in my closet, and I kept hearing the word FOCUS, my eyes would wander to this scripture on my prayer wall:

So over the last few weeks, I have been making a careful exploration of who I am and the work I have been given professionally. I printed my job description and I try to line my work up with what the goals of my job are. Before I take on a task, I ask myself "is this Instructional Technology?" If the answer is no, I am working to let it go. I also gauge my purpose for tackling a new assignment or project. Over the Christmas break, I listened to the audiobook, Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist and she made a statement that deeply resonated with my Type A, people-pleaser personality. She says that, 

I have so many thoughts and emotions running through my mind this evening that I'm having trouble putting them into words. You know how it can be. Type. Delete. Type. Delete.

So in order to save my sanity and yours, I am going to keep it simple with a list of 3 things that I am grateful for today...

I met with my Superintendent this morning. As I was leaving, he said something that will stay with me for years. I can't remember the exact phrasing, but in essence he said that he knows I work my butt off every day. He knows that no one has to tell me what to do in my position. He sees me. 

WOW.

His words took a minute or maybe two, but they will drive me forward on days that are hard. I am grateful for this affirmation!

This afternoon, I met with my iCoach team at our local coffee shop. I'm not sure if it was the atmosphere, the 2 week break prior, or my awesome meeting agenda (insert sarcasm) but we had THE BEST planning meeting ever! They brainstormed some great things to share with our teachers this spring plus came up with some innovative new delivery options for the professional development sessions. I am truly excited to work with them and get started! 

​I am grateful for their collaboration and teamwork!

After the iCoach meeting, one of my ladies pulled me aside and gave me the MOST AWESOME gift. {more on the gift below} However, her words were the best gift I could have received. She hugged me tightly and with teary words expressed her thanks for what I had done for her this year. The thing is, I was shocked that anything that I had said or done meant that much. I have racked my brain for situations and moments where I would have been impactful, but I came up short. I guess just having a general love for people, being there, and being a friend means more that I even realized.

​I am grateful for the friendships that I have!

Backstory: One day this school year, Cindy Pierce and I are gabbing about my newfound love of all things Harry Potter when she pulls out her phone to show me the picture of a full-sized HP themed blanket that her daughter hand crocheted for her. Of course I throw a fit over it but don't really think about it again.

Fast forward to today: She reaches into the backset of her truck and grabs a Christmas sack. Before she even hands it to me, somehow I knew what was inside...

I'm still floored by her generosity and am enjoying the warmth and love it brings as I write this post. 

Feeling the love,
Heather

I have a selfish reason for joining The Innovator's Mindset MOOC. More than anything, I want the students in my district (including my own personal children) to be innovators. I want them to experience lessons that stretch them to create something new or make improvements on something already existing. Since I left the classroom, I struggle with the fact that I don't directly plan and execute lessons for students anymore. I don't have direct control over innovative and creative projects that directly impact students. While I yearn to have that kind of impact again, I know that my reach is much greater now. I have the ability to impact a district of teachers, which in turn can impact each and every student.

​The introduction of the book is full of ideas that resonated with me. However, this statement was one of the simpler and most captivating to me.

While I completely agree with this statement, I struggle with the "how." How can you ignite a renewed passion in a seasoned educator? How do you teach innovation to a first year teacher? You can't teach innovation in a one-time professional development session! After further reading, I see that it all comes down to culture. We must create a culture of innovation within our school district. Teachers have to feel that they have the creative freedom to do things a little differently. This brought me to my next question. How can we give the innovative "green light" to teachers? Two words...by example.

Taking risks in our own work shows vulnerability. If you have ever read Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown, you know more than you thought you could ever know about being vulnerable. In today's world, vulnerability has a negative connotation. It implies weakness.  Dr. Brown's book sheds a different light. Her words speak to  the power and strength in being vulnerable. 

This is exactly the challenge that I have given our central office and campus administrators in our district book study over The New Pillars of Modern Education by Dr. Gayle Allen. Through the book study, I hope to push the innovation envelope with new and creative ways for our students to learn. I want our administrators to be vulnerable as we try to chart a new path for teaching and learning in our district. Will we succeed? The jury is still out as we are just digging into Chapter 1 this week, but I have high hopes.

In the meantime, I'm continuing the search for ways to bring innovative practices to my district and change the mindset about how we teach and learn. The Innovator's Mindset is a wonderful addition to my quest and I can't wait to read more. 

Keeping it Techy (and Innovative),
Heather

While I learned a lot from my courses and am happy to have my degree, I am excited to get back to learning for fun! Reading educational blogs, the Twitter feeds of my PLN, and curating my learning here on this blog are activities that I have been waiting to have time for again! 

It finally came. After a summer of watching training videos by my friend Kasey Bell, taking 6 tests (yes, I had to take Calendar TWICE), and completing the 3 trainer application elements, I received the email that I am now a Google for Education Certified Trainer! (and yes, I have been posting the wrong official title for months! Yikes!)

The process is very involved so I waited until summer to tackle it. Thankfully, I didn't have to take summer courses for my Education Administration degree, so my goal was to get all of the tests and projects completed during the summer months. I signed up for the Become a Google Certified Trainer course created by my Google guru, Kasey Bell, and started working through the courses. As I completed a course, I took a test. All was well until the Google Calendar test. I attempted it at 9:30 in the evening and I KNEW I was too tired... lesson learned! I was so happy when the tests were over, but I did learn a lot from Kasey's course! I sit through her trainings 8 times a year and STILL learn every time I'm her student! Thanks Kasey for your mad skills and servant heart!

The other half of the process was more about how I was currently training my teachers to use the Google tools. I built a Training Highlights resume (image above) to showcase my experience, education, professional associations, and trainings. This was fun because I was able to get creative with Google Drawings! The case study activity was more application based in that I had to give detailed information on a specific training session I conducted. I gave the school information, an outline of my training program, insights from the training, and shared the overall impact of the training. Since this document included information from the school district that I work in, I'm not going to share it here. However, I WILL share the Certified Trainer Application video that I made! (see below) I am pretty proud of it! I knew the style that I was going for, and without professional software, I think it turned out good! The video had to include a one minute introduction and a two minute training. I chose the add-on Autocrat as my training piece. It was HARD to cut it down to 2 minutes! I think the first recording was 9 minutes long! Finally, I had to record each short section so that I wouldn't have ANY "ums" or pauses. ​

“…in the age of information overload – it is no longer effective to ‘just tell people the facts’. As a leader you must use emotion to be successful in business." This is true in education as well. Administrators who can engage and inspire their teams have a definite advantage. Using the art of effective storytelling, school leaders can defeat this information overload to inspire the emotion and effort needed to adopt new school strategies, attract new students, or recruit innovative teachers.
            An engaging story is hard to forget in contrast to dry facts and stale data. Hooked: How Leaders Connect, Engage, and Inspire with Storytelling is full of real-world examples and techniques to teach the skill of great storytelling. Authors Gabrielle Dolan and Yamini Naidu explain what good storytelling is, why leaders need to learn it, how to create effective stories, and how to practice to perfect the craft. This book offers effective techniques and helpful guidance to school leaders who need to communicate more efficiently and influentially.

            The authors included many  tips and tricks about refining your stories and making them stick. The section on practice was the most potent to me. The included quote by Malcolm Gladwell said “practice isn’t the thing you do when you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.” Practices does make perfect. This is something that I am missing in my professional life. I am very meticulous with researching the best information, providing the best examples, and having an engaging production. However, I often feel like my presentation is both hurried and all over the place. I definitely need to begin brainstorming stories for use when both delivering professional development and working one-on-one with teachers. Engaging and making information stick with teachers through stories would be the optimal way to make my presentations memorable. 
            The delivery techniques listed in the book are a wonderful resource for me to utilize the next time that I’m preparing for a presentation. As a leader in my district, I need to make sure that I am communicating efficiently and influentially with my teachers. Since I am the instructional technologist for my district, the information that I share with teachers can sometimes be difficult for them to grasp. The more that I prepare, pace myself, repeat, make eye contact, and share information through stories, the more successful that the teachers will be with retaining the information that I share. Dolan and Naidu say “every time you present, you need stories to help your audience connect with you and connect with your key messages." I now see the need for stories in my professional life. As Greg Power said, “the fine line between speaking and being heard is storytelling.”

Keeping it Techy,
Heather
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