Sunday, February 28, 2016

Day 28 (and a half)

Okay...I have to be honest. February is my least favorite month of the year...the weather...the post-holiday slump...etc. All that being said, the 28 Days of OLLIE has made my month much more enjoyable. It has been great getting to know all of you and learn with you. I'm excited to try out many of the things that were shared through out the month.
Day 28
As we wrap up the month, I do want to take a moment to get some feedback from you about the OLLIE community an the 28 Days. Please take a few minutes to complete the form found here and provide us with your thoughts so that we improve our facilitation of the community.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 27

Much of the 28 Days of OLLIE is what we consider informal or non-credit bearing learning opportunities. The value in this type of learning is that it is truly about getting the learning to you when you need it. For example, you can post a question to the community the minute it comes to you and hopefully get a suggested answers from others in a timely manner.

Today's focus is on formalizing your learning. In other words engaging in online courses that are lead by an instructor, have official starts and end dates, facilitated discussions, collaborative activities, and assessments. The benefit of this more formal type of learning is that it offers the learners the opportunity to dig deep into meaningful topics. In addition, they are also offered for credit (renewal and graduate).
To Do
So if you are interested in digging deeper into online learning and earning rnewal or graduate credit, check out AEA PD Online's formal professional development options related to online and blended learning pedagogy here

Thursday, February 25, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Student Personalized Learning System Webinar

Today we will listen to a conversation about AEA PD Online's Student Personalized Learning System between AEA PD Online's K-12 Instructional Designers Denise Krefting and Melissa Wicklund as they explain more about how schools use this system and what it can provide to districts.  Click here to view the video.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

28 Days OLLIE: Personalized Learning

This day will give you the opportunity to explore resources to learn more about Personalized Learning and to explore AEA PD Online's Student Personalized Learning System. You will find these Softchalk Lessons at https://softchalkcloud.com/lesson/files/LO6k0M9AaxNCzd/28days30.html


  • Personalize Learning: A Definition (Softchalk lesson)
  • Personalized Learning: Models (Softchalk lesson)
  • Personalized Learning Environments (Softchalk Lesson)
  • Personalized Learning: Key Elements (Softchalk Lesson)
  • AEA PD Online's Personalize Learning System (Softchalk Lesson)

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

28 Days OLLIE: Scenario: Student Personalized Learning

Mrs. Johnson has a variety of student ability groups in her Middle School Science course. She finds that she teaches to the middle and sees that her lower level students are falling further behind and her upper level students are bored.  She is looking for options to help all of her students learn at their own pace which would also allow her to be more of a facilitator.

She decides to ask the OLLIE Community for ideas on how they personalize their learning for students What would you share with her in support of her concerns? Share your thoughts in the forum discussion found on the sidebar under 'To Do'.

  Share your ideas on how to personalize learning and hear how Iowa educators are supporting student personalized learning through this forum discussion.
This video on how to use AEA PD Online's Personalized Student Learning System will help you learn to explore the system.

Explore more at https://softchalkcloud.com/lesson/files/LO6k0M9AaxNCzd/28days29.html


Upcoming Event: Our World is Changing Rapidly, How Can We Make Schools Different?

Join us for a free screening and panel conversation, with special guest Executive Producer Ted Dintersmith, about the themes raised in the film from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the auditorium at Hiatt Middle School, 1430 East University, Des Moines.

The Most Likely to Succeed education documentary offers an inspiring look at what students & teachers are capable of - if we have the vision & courage to transform our schools.

This just in!! Panelists include Georgia Van Gundy, Director, Government and Community Relations at The Principal Financial Group, Isaac Miller, student at Iowa BIG, Joanne Tubbs, Lead Consultant with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, and Deron Durflinger, superintendent at Van Meter Schools.

This screening is for education, government, business and community partners and is hosted by Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency

28 Days of OLLIE: How SoftChalk and SoftChalk Cloud Can Support Online Content Delivery

For these 3 days of the 28 Days of OLLIE we are focusing on using and creating online learning objects.  There are a number of great resources for finding OER content but sometimes it just doesn't quite fit with what you are wanting to have your students learn.  SoftChalk is a great tool for creating online interactive learning objects.  Through AEA PD Online there is a statewide license to provide educators with free SoftChalk Cloud accounts.  Click this link to learn how Iowa Educators can obtain a free SoftChalk Cloud Account.

This lesson link provides you with an overview of the features of SoftChalk and SoftChalk Cloud.


Saturday, February 20, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 20


It's Saturday...soooo...rather than ask you to attend a live webinar about Setting Students up for Success in online or blended courses, we've recorded a session that provides a myriad of ideas on how to help students be successful. You can view the recorded webinar below.
During the webinar, Dr. Peggy Steinbronn, AEA PD Online, shares with us ideas on how to help students:
  • Overcome technical difficulties
  • Avoid distractions
  • Increase their comprehension of the course content
  • Be meaningful collaborators in an online course
Many of these strategies will enhance your students online learning experiences and save you and your students time.

Friday, February 19, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 19


Setting Students Up for Success is the theme we are focusing on in the OLLIE Community. Yesterday, you read about Mrs. Roberts situation. She and her students hit some bumps with their online line learning experiences. As a community, one way to support her is to share tips and tricks that you use with your students to ensure that they are successful in an online or blended environment in the community forum found here.

Day 19
Check out one resource that was shared, "Quick Start Guide for Online Student Success".

This useful presentation includes some of the best practices for online student success, curated from around the web.

Mark Your Calendar
Don't forget to register for the SoftChalk Cloud and Create Overview webinar on Feb. 22 @ 3:00 CST. Register to attend this webinar here. This webinar will highlight SoftChalk's many features. These include:
  • the ability to turn a Word document into an interactive web page.
  • adding design style to your lesson
  • creating interactive activities and annotations
  • delivering lessons to students via your learning management system.
Hope to see you there!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 18


As we wrap up days 15, 16, and 17, we hope that you got some great ideas on how to use video in your online or blended instruction. Please remember that if you have more questions about how to use video with students or create videos, you can post your questions in the community forum found here.
Day 18-20
As we look towards days 18, 19, and 20 we will be focusing on "Setting Students up for Success". As facilitators or online or blended learning there are lots of things that we can do to help students be successful and the best news is that most of these supports are fairly simple/easy to do.
ScenarioMrs. Roberts blended her math course during first semester, however she has hit a few bumps with students. In her face to face classes is able to naturally develop a sense of classroom community with her students. This community leads to a connectivity among and between her and her students that sets them up for success. Unfortunately, in her online course she just doesn't feel as if that same level of community has been established.
This has led to all sorts of issues. Several students have missed important deadlines. While others have failed to respond to questions or make changes to work after receiving feedback.
Frustrated she has posted in the OLLIE forum here. She is hoping that the community members will have some ideas about to help her build community among and between her students and set them up to be successful online learners.

To Do
  • We want to hear about some the the challenges you and your students face when learning online or in a blended environment? Complete the survey here. Survey results will be shared later this week.
  • Join in the discussion here and help Mrs. Roberts out. Share your ideas on how to build community in an online/blended course and ultimately set students up for success.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

In AEA PD Online's Student Personalized Learning system K-5 teachers and students can learn more about science with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Water Rocks programs that have been added to this system.  Teacher can check out the content by logging into the Student Personalized Learning system using their username and password that they use for the training system where they have taken mandatory trainings.

Once logged into the Student Learning system, click on Modules, Science and look at the individual Water Rocks modules.  More will be coming soon. If you wish to use these with your K-5 students or have any questions please contact Denise Krefting (dkrefting@aeapdonline.org) or Melissa Wicklund (mwicklund@aeapdonline.org).

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Upcoming Courses: March 1-April 15, 2015

See below for a list of upcoming online professional learning opportunities. 


To register, click on the activity number listed with each course. To conduct your own search for professional development classes, download the AEA PD Online app at myapp.is/aeapdonline or click here to go to the AEA PD Online catalog.


The Flipped Classroom
Register at 22032699991601
Course Dates: Mar. 1-May 1, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Elements: Collaboration
Register at 22016799991602
Course Dates: Mar. 2-April 13, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Pinterest: Using Pins, Boards, and More in Your Classroom
Register at 22022299991611
Course Dates: Mar. 2-Mar. 29, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Presentation Zen: Moving Beyond PowerPoint
Register at 22031399991601
Course Dates: Mar. 2-Mar. 29, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Understanding and Developing a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MtSS/RtI) I
Register at 22024599991603
Course Dates: Mar. 5-Mar. 29, 2016
Credit(s): 1 (renewal only)

Integrating the iPad and Apps into the Content Area
Register at 22032299991601
Course Dates: Mar. 7-Apr. 4, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Pinterest in the Classroom
Register at 22019999991610
Course Dates: Mar. 7-Apr. 3, 2016
Credit(s): 2

What Great Teachers do Differently
Register at 22020399991605
Course Dates: Mar. 7-Apr. 15, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Introducing Asian Literature
Register at 22011099991602
Course Dates: Mar. 8-Apr. 11, 2016
Credit(s): 2 (renewal only)

French Essentials
Register at 22019499991601
Course Dates: Mar. 9-Apr. 6, 2016
Credit(s): 1 (renewal only)

Increasing Cognitive Complexity to Enhance Student Learning
Register at 22025699991603
Course Dates: Mar. 9-Mar. 30, 2016
Credit(s): 1 (renewal only)

Spanish for Educators Online
Register at 22000799991603
Course Dates: Mar. 10-Apr. 21, 2016
Credit(s): 3 (renewal only)

iEvaluate 1.2
Register at 22017299991610
Course Dates: Mar. 14-May 6, 2016
Credit(s): 2 (renewal only)

iMovie: Digital Video in the Classroom
Register at 22000399991603
Course Dates: Mar. 14-Apr. 3, 2016
Credit(s): 1

iPods & iPads for the Classroom
Register at 22004199991604
Course Dates: Mar. 14-Apr. 10, 2016
Credit(s): 2

MovieMaker: Digital Video in the Classroom
Register at 22000699991603
Course Dates: Mar. 14-Apr. 3, 2016
Credit(s): 1

Examining: How the Brain Learns
Register at 22017399991603
Course Dates: Mar. 16-May 25, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Examining: I Understand Checks for Understanding in the Classroom
Register at 22030799991602
Course Dates: Mar. 16-May 25, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Examining: Managing Noncompliance and Defiance in the Classroom
Register at 22002999991602
Course Dates: Mar. 16-May 25, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Examining: Overcoming Dyslexia
Register at 22003399991604
Course Dates: Mar. 16-May 25, 2016
Credit(s): 3

Pinterest: Using Pins, Boards, and More in Your Classroom
Register at 22022299991609
Course Dates: Mar. 16-Apr. 12, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Sharpen Your Critical Thinking Skills
Register at 22008999991601
Course Dates: Mar. 17-Apr. 21, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Effective Formative Assessment using Tech Tools
Register at 22030699991603
Course Dates: Mar. 20-Apr. 16, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Methods of Teaching Elementary Fine Arts
Register at 22027899991605
Course Dates: Mar. 20-Apr. 10, 2016
Credit(s): 1

Using Google Docs to Improve Student Writing
Register at 22032599991602
Course Dates: Mar. 20-Apr. 16, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Google Sites for the Classroom
Register at 22025199991604
Course Dates: Mar. 28-Apr. 21, 2016
Credit(s): 1

iEvaluate 1.2
Register at 22017299991611
Course Dates: Mar. 28-May 20, 2016
Credit(s): 2 (renewal only)

Pinterest in the Classroom
Register at 22019999991611
Course Dates: Mar. 28-Apr. 24, 2016
Credit(s): 2

MOLLIE: Online Teaching Best Practices
Register at 22019699991602
Course Dates: Mar. 30-May 3, 2016
Credit(s): 2

OLLIE: Introduction to the Online Learner
Register at 22001399991606
Course Dates: Mar. 30-Apr. 19, 2016
Credit(s): 1

OLLIE: Online Facilitation
Register at 22009699991603
Course Dates: Mar. 30-May 3, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Pinterest: Using Pins, Boards, and More in Your Classroom
Register at 22022299991612
Course Dates: Mar. 30-Apr. 26, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Google Sites
Register at 22012899991605
Course Dates: Apr. 3-May 29, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Intro to Google Apps: Tools to Integrate
Register at 22014599991607
Course Dates: Apr. 3-May 29, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Supporting Technology Literacy in Elementary Classrooms with Scratch Programming
Register at 22024299991604
Course Dates: Apr. 4-May 9, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Assess Student Learning Using Technology
Register at 22026499991604
Course Dates: Apr. 5-May 2, 2016
Credit(s): 2

Multi-tiered System of Supports II: Implementation and Monitoring
Register at 22025599991602
Course Dates: Apr. 9-May 17, 2016
Credit(s): 1 (renewal only)

iEvaluate 1.2
Register at 22017299991612
Course Dates: Apr. 11-June 3, 2016
Credit(s): 2 (renewal only)

Examining Literacy & Learning in the Content Areas
Register at 22012999991602
Course Dates: Apr. 13-June 22,2016
Credit(s): 3

28 Days of OLLIE: Video Resources

As you heard from Jarod Borman yesterday, there are many tools to create video content for your classroom. Today you can explore more of these tools as well as instructional learning opportunities to help you become better at creating these videos. Explore these Softchalk lessons to learn more (found on the link below):

Designing Spoken/Recorded Lessons (Softchalk Lesson)
Lecture in the Modern Classroom (Softchalk Lesson)
Preparing your Speaking Voice (Softchalk Lesson)
Narrative Structure and Style (Softchalk Lesson)

Check out all of the resources to create and learn more about creating flipped videos at https://softchalkcloud.com/lesson/files/LO6k0M9AaxNCzd/28days22.html .

If you have questions,  return to the the forum thread to ask questions.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Digital Learning Day is Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Digital Learning Day started in 2012 as a grass roots effort to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology. It has grown to a nationwide celebration to show how people use technology to support learning.

With so many new types of digital devices, educational software and mobile apps continuously developed, it’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest advancements in educational technology. In some classrooms and out-of-school programs across the country, educators are doing some pretty amazing things with technology. Digital Learning Day is a great way for educators to showcase how they use technology and gain new ideas from others.

With so many new types of digital devices, educational software and mobile apps continuously developed, it’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest advancements in educational technology. In some classrooms and out-of-school programs across the country, educators are doing some pretty amazing things with technology. Yet, these pockets of innovation are confined to a small number of schools and communities. Digital Learning Day was started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensure that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live. - See more at: http://www.digitallearningday.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=71#sthash.8hRVARoD.dpuf
Check out Digital Learning Day's online resources to plan activities for the day and all year long.  Click this link to register your school's Digital Learning Day events or find out what other schools around the world are doing to celebrate.
Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools. - See more at: http://www.digitallearningday.org/domain/54#sthash.1lcY3HCv.dpuf
Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools. - See more at: http://www.digitallearningday.org/domain/54#sthash.1lcY3HCv.dpuf



Follow the different Digital Learning Day activities through social media:


Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools. - See more at: http://www.digitallearningday.org/domain/54#sthash.1lcY3HCv.dpuf
Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools. - See more at: http://www.digitallearningday.org/domain/54#sthash.1lcY3HCv.dpuf

28 Days of OLLIE: Scenario: Leveraging Videos

Can you believe that we are more than half way through the 28 Days of OLLIE? We hope you have learned more about blending your classroom. Days 15-17 will take you into leveraging videos for flipping/blending your classroom content.  Read through this scenario. Does it sound like you?

Ms. Guthrie is interested in using videos in her blended course, but she has a lot of questions. She would like to know:
  • How people are using videos with their students
  • Where people are getting their videos from
  • And if they are making them, what tools they are using.
Ms. Guthrie posts her questions in the forum discussion.
What advice can you give her? What answers do you have to her questions?


To Do #1:  Check out the forum thread found here and share your thoughts to help Ms. Guthrie and others incorporate video into online or blended classes.

To Do #2:   In the OLLIE Community (where the 28 days exists) you can share the flipped videos you have found that are used in your classroom or share the videos you have created that you would like to share with others.  Go here for videos to use in your classroom and share your own in this Video Database (found in the OLLIE Community for future use).

28 Days of OLLIE Webinar: Flipping with Video Jarod Borman

This Tuesday, as part of our 28 Days of OLLIE, we will be presenting a Q&A with Jarod Borman.  Jarod is an instructional technologist for Keystone AEA and has been working with teachers on flipping their classroom and creating video content to support their flipped classroom. He will share how to flip your classroom and tools to create these videos.

Check out the video discussion with Jarod here https://softchalkcloud.com/lesson/files/LO6k0M9AaxNCzd/28days21.html

Sunday, February 14, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 14

Scenario:

 Ms. Sanchez is... not thinking about 28 Days of OLLIE at all today. After all, it is Valentine's Day, and she is having a romantic day with her loved one.


That's okay, since the webinar for the day is being recorded and shared within the community. She can watch it any time she would like. The webinar features several teachers who have different strategies that they have used in the online class, and shows them highlighting those via the screencast. This webinar helps give a mental picture to the database of ideas Ms. Sanchez looked at earlier.

To Do

• If you have not done so already, check out the to-do items from days 12 and 13
• Our webinar is posted in our webinar section.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 13

We are almost half-way done with our 28 days already.  We are continuing our look on instructional design--understanding the big picture when it comes to building your blended learning opportunities.

Scenario:

 Ms. Sanchez is getting some time this weekend to take a look at some of the OLLIE lessons on instructional objects. These are helping her put the pieces together. She can see that online learning includes sequencing these instructional objects together into a unit that meets her learning outcomes. She also sees that it blurs the lines a bit between what is an instructional lesson, an assessment, and a collaborative activity, as many things do both or even all three.

But now, she is beginning to see that she is really interested in blended learning, not fully teaching online. The lessons help her understand that blended learning actually uses the same design techniques as fully-online teaching does, but just is purposeful about what of those items (lessons, collaboration, assessment) is done online.


These lessons help her better understand what she saw shared by other teachers in the forum and the sharing database. She goes back to those, and now looks for some ideas for things she can use in her class. She also notes that she could contribute her own idea to the class, which she makes a note to do someday to help other teachers who will be coming along in the future.

To Do:


• If you have not done so already, check out the To-Do steps from day 12

• Take a look at some of the following lessons to help understand some of the basics about designing online content:
1. Guiding Principles of Online Instruction
2. Visual Design
3. Structuring Your Course into Units
4. Types of Online Assessment
5. What is Online Assessment?

• MOST IMPORTANTLY: Be sure to check out the lesson on instructional objects, if you did not do so yesterday.

Friday, February 12, 2016

SoftChalk Cloud Overview Webinar

We are excited to announce an upcoming OLLIE webinar.  Join us on Monday, February 22 at 3:00 for an overview to the award-winning lesson-building tool SoftChalk Cloud.  A reminder that as an Iowa educator, you have access to SoftChalk Cloud for free through AEA PD Online (this is a savings of $500/year!).  To gain access, you must fill out our request form here.

Our overview webinar will be hosted by David Evans, a learning specialist from SoftChalk.  He will not only give an overview of the tool, but explain how it integrates seamlessly with all LMSs (including Moodle, Canvas, and Schoology).  Plus, he will show different examples of how teachers are currently using SoftChalk Cloud in the classroom.

You MUST REGISTER ahead of time for the webinar, even though there is no cost.  To register, https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3275886415780230401

And, as a final reminder, if you are interested in extending your professional learning to receive credit, be sure to sign up for our online cohort course that begins February 17.  Our Designing Online Lessons course focuses heavily on SoftChalk Cloud.  You can register for that here.



28 Days of OLLIE: Day 12

We hope you were able to participate in the CITE online conference on Blended Learning over the past three days.  There were many great sessions for schools and teachers alike.

We are now turning our focus to the design process.  It is one thing to know that you want to use blended learning, but it is a different one to actually deliver it.  Online learning design (often referred to as "instructional design") requires an artful touch to it.

Scenario:

 Meet Ms. Sanchez. She has been teaching for a few years, but she has never thought about teaching in an online setting. She has heard from other teachers about blended learning, and putting together a Moodle course, but she wasn't sure what that was. Her sister teaches in a different district that uses Canvas, and she knows her sister likes using the tool, but doesn't really know if she is creating online courses correctly.

When she looks at her sister's course, as well as courses from other teachers in her building, she can't help but feel something is missing. It just seems to be a bunch of PDFs and power points uploaded. It feels more like a resource place for the class, so that they can download files from home, than it does true online learning. She doesn't think her students would take much interest going through a power point or reading a PDF without understanding what it is, and if she is explaining it in the classroom, then basically it is just like assigning homework.

But, today is Day 12, which means that the OLLIE Community is beginning to look at instructional objects. She has never heard the term before, but she finds out an instructional object is a catch-all term to describe online instructional lessons, online collaborative activities, and online assessments. "Yes," she nods to herself, "this is what I was looking for."

Ms. Sanchez takes a look at the discussion for Days 12-14 as well as the Instructional Object sharing database. Whoa! There are a lot of ideas here that people are sharing. She sees some good ideas, but also realizes, she will need to find out a bit more information tomorrow before she can contribute. But, her sister might benefit from looking at this right away.

To-Do:

• Visit the Instructional Object database in our community. As you search through the database, think about what strategies makes sense in your curriculum?

• Take a look at our discussion forum for days 12-14. This will ask you to reflect on the database and share with community members something that you found that would enhance your classroom practice.

Monday, February 8, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 8

Day 8

Today is an exciting day in the OLLIE Community.  Today you will explore how to configure physical learning space, use of time in the classroom, and also how to distribute yourself and other staff if deciding to transition to a blended learning model in the classroom.  

iNacol has a document containing the “The Six Elements for Planning and Implementation of Blended Learning” as teachers transition into a blended learning environment in their “A Roadmap for Implementation of Blended Learning at the School Level: A Case Study of the iLearnNYC Lab Schools.”  

The questions that will help us reflect on today’s videos come from the Teaching Element in the six blended learning elements.  The questions are:
  1. How will teaching and the role of the teacher change?
  2. How will student learning change?
  3. What is the school’s pedagogical philosophy?
  4. How will best teaching practices be modeled and share?
These questions may help you reflect on your own situation, as well as the videos Ms. Brooks will watch today.

Scenario
Now that Ms. Brooks has some ideas on which LMS she will use with her students, she'd like to learn more about how to set up her classroom and structure her time with students. She starts investigating some of the different learning models that other schools are implementing.
These models include:


She watches the videos attached to each of these models and reviews information in the OLLIE Community. She earns an OLLIE badge by completing the "Blended Learning Models" forum.

28 Days of OLLIE Webinar: Christine Jegers & Atomic Learning

This Wednesday, as part of our 28 Days of OLLIE, we will be presenting a Q&A with Christine Jegers.  Christine is an Education Integration Specialist with extensive experience in Blended Learning.  She will be sharing her thoughts and ideas about how to deliver blended and flipped learning in the classroom, utilizing resources available to Iowa teachers.

We also will take a look at new features available within Atomic Learning.  As a resource free for all Iowa teachers on behalf of the AEAs, Atomic Learning has ready made content in a large number of areas, much more than simply the technology tutorials it is known for.  These resources can make an instant playlist for your blended classroom.

Our webinar will be from 9:30 - 10:00 on Wednesday morning.  No pre-registration is required.  The link for the webinar is here:  https://heartlandaea.zoom.us/j/346529635.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 7

Hello everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying a Super Bowl Saturday.  I want to take a moment to remind you about the OLLIE community cohort course opportunity. The course, Designing Online Lessons is a 2-credit course and will begin on Feb. 17.  You may audit the course for free, or pay a minimal amount for license renewal and graduate credit. To register, click here.

(Note: You must register even if you are choosing to audit the course and not take it for credit.) This course is an awesome opportunity to learn more about video-based lessons, text-based lessons, and tools like SoftChalk (A free tool provided to Iowa Educators via AEA PD Online...What's better than free? Not much).

Day 7

We are shifting gears and taking a look at a very popular topic in Iowa:  Learning Management Systems (LMSs).  Many schools are moving to adopt official LMSs for their district.  In some cases, this can be a very robust system with some considerable expense.  In other cases, you can utilize a free tool but miss out on having some of the learning tools at your disposal.  We'll take a look at the more popular options and give you an idea of how you can understand the different LMS options available.

Scenario

Meet Ms. Brooks. She is a middle school social studies and language arts teacher and loves working with her students in innovative ways. She was one of the biggest proponents for adopting 1:1 technology, and once her school did adopt it, she was one of the most enthusiastic using it in her class. Her students loved the way she was able to incorporate Web 2.0 technology like wikis, blogs, and even Google Docs in her class.

While those first steps have worked very well, she still feels like she is just nibbling around the edge. Her school has talked about the SAMR model, and she feels that a lot of her technology use is down at the "substitution" and "augementation" levels. She wants to use technology in a more transformative manner.

Through attending conferences and reading blogs, she has heard quite a bit of buzz around blended learning and flipped learning. She would like to know more about the concept, but before she can even get started, she sees quite a bit of the buzz is around the LMS.

Seeing that LMS stands for Learning Management System, Ms. Brooks sees that many teachers who teach in a blended environment need a tool that brings many tools together in one spot. Since blended learning is truly transformative, and replace some aspects of the face-to-face class with online learning, she needs a platform to help organize this learning when students are not in the classroom. The question is, which one?

In many cases, school districts in Iowa are investigating implementing a schoolwide or even district-wide LMS. There are benefits to doing so, but teachers like Ms. Brooks--where the school isn't implementing an LMS--are not out of luck. There are options that individual teachers can use. Ms. Brooks takes a look at the resources on LMS to understand what are her options.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

28 Days of OLLIE: Day 6

Happy Saturday!
Well, I bet you didn't expect to hear from the OLLIE Community today...It is the weekend after all. Well, no worries. Today is all about looking back and reflecting about the first 5 days of this month long event and thinking about how you might be able to leverage the OLLIE community to help you teach online or blend your instruction.

Scenario
It has been a busy week for Mr. Miller. He has learned that the OLLIE community and its members are there to support him as he moves toward more
online/blended instruction for his students. He has also learned about different ways to connect with the community members and share ideas. Finally, he is excited to know that there is a a place where he can go to learn about online/blended learning, ask questions, and share resources. He plans to keep an eye on the announcements from the community facilitators for resources and upcoming events and do his best to support other community members by responding to questions and sharing resources.