Educational Technology

What’s In Your Digital Toolbelt?

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Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

I love to remodel houses. There, I said it. I am the daughter of a handyman/builder who had no sons. I learned the art of deconstruction of an abandoned house on our property, saving boards, and pulling nails so we could reuse them later. I learned the mastery of the “Adjust-O-Matic” (known to most as a sledgehammer) at the ripe old age of 10. These lessons taught me that I needed specific tools for some things, but I could make do with other things that hung on my toolbelt depending on the job.

My digital toolbelt changes depending on what my school district approves, of course. But, I have some digital tools that I use to save time. I have digital tools to be more productive. I have digital tools that just feel right to me. So what’s in your digital toolbelt?

Some of the items I use daily are productivity tools such as ClickUp – a task manager; 1Password for my 1200+ unique passwords; Calendly for ease of others scheduling with me; Grammarly to fix my sloppy typing and somehow less than accurate spelling; Emoji keyboard to enhance my work with visuals and of course the Google Workspace for just about everything.

While these aren’t the only tools I use, they are the ones in my digital toolbelt. The others I have tucked away in my toolbox for when I need them. Chrome extensions such as MyBib for citations, Screencastify for video and audio recording, and the Marvellous Suspender that works in the background and suspends my tabs when I’ve been away from them for a while.

There are many others that I use in my daily work as a Digital Learning Coordinator. Some are used by my school district and have a strict safety policy (thank goodness!) And others that I use exclusively for my home business such as multiple Filemaker databases, accounting software, and scanning software.

Is it time to clean out your digital toolbox? Have some of your tools been a fad and have now evolved or maybe not improved any over the years? I try to simplify my workflow so that I’m not so dependent on one or two tools that if they happen to crash or suddenly not work I won’t be in a panic. Right. That’s easier said than done!

How well do your tools work for you? Maybe it’s time to look for tried and true and realize that the next great thing might seem great, but your standby really gets the job done with the least amount of effort. Spring is here and digital culling might be on the agenda.

What are your favorite tools for your workflow? Why? I’d love to hear your thoughts! ~B

Streaming Music and Copyright

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My mind has been buried in Copyright and Fair Use lately. I have always had a bit of a cyber security geek streak in me, to be honest. I know, I know! You’re probably thinking, “Ugh, she’s one of THOSE!”

Photo by James Stamler on Unsplash

I want to start out by reminding you that this blog post does not provide legal advice. This is merely to guide you through some of the areas that you may find challenging, provide you with some resources, and remind you to think about your use of streaming music as you navigate through this complex world of copyright.

As educators, it is up to us to model ethical behavior as well as to comply with copyright and fair use guidelines. Our students and other teachers look to us for guidance. The more informed we are about this often confusing topic, the better for everyone.

Music copyright applies to everyone. Maybe you’ve used a recording of a song for an assembly or for a play. Unless you have the proper license in place, you could be breaking copyright.

In 2021 The Music Modernization Act updated the copyright law to make statutory licensing fairer for creators and more efficient for digital music providers. This changed the way musicians get paid for their work that is found on streaming services such as Spotify and iTunes. Prior to this act, much of the digital music was used without permission. Therefore the artists and all others involved in the music industry didn’t get paid for their work. It makes it much fairer for these creators to get paid for their work. Understanding the Music Modernization Act: https://www.copyright.gov

Judy Pancoast – judypancoast.com

I asked Judy Pancoast, an Award Winning Songwriter, and Performer her thoughts on music copyright and why it matters. She said, “As an independent musician, I value my copyrights above all else. Since the advent of streaming music, my income has been measurably depleted to the point where I can’t afford to record in a studio anymore. As recording sales dropped, many independent musicians like myself have been working hard to find alternative income streams, like licensing songs for commercials, TV shows, and movies, creating choral arrangements, and so forth. Therefore, if someone is using my music without paying for it-  using my music in the background at a business (an amusement park did this for many years without paying for it), in a commercial (it happens sometimes at local radio stations), or performing choral versions without a license, that is money right out of my pocket. A lot of people use the excuse “Oh, it’s a big record company, they can afford it,” but I am not a big record company and I pay for everything to do with my career myself. I recently learned that a song I wrote and arranged for a choral group in college, some forty years ago, has been passed down from member to member through the years. Those who have gone on to be music teachers have used my song with their choruses and never paid me a dime. I only found out when someone contacted me and told me they heard it at a funeral in 2019. That’s forty years of income that I’ve missed out on!” 

There are a couple of notable music copyright cases that can be found on this site: https://library.mi.edu/musiccopyright/currentcases Most notably are Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams v. Marvin Gaye and the one between Roby Orbison and 2 Live Crew. Very interesting reading.

YouTube Studio menu on left side with arrow pointing to the Audio Library at the bottom.

Did you know that YouTube now has a Creative Commons filter and a YouTube Audio Library? It does! You can search for music to use however you want to simply by going to the Audio Library and searching. You’ll find the Audio Library link on the left side of your YouTube Studio page at the bottom.

So many folks use the audio from a YouTube video for whatever they want to. This goes against YouTube’s terms of service. If you want to use music from YouTube you need to use the Audio Library and the Creative Commons filter instead.

There are so many reasons why you should honor copyright. The least of which is that it’s the law! But artists earn their living by writing, recording, and performing songs. Their livelihood depends on your ethical behavior. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!

There are many resources out there to provide you with more information about music copyright and ethical use. If you are an educator, particularly, this is a great resource from the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) – Copyright Session: https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Basics-of-Copyright-Session-2017-Updated.pdf

The next time you plan to use music in a presentation, as a backdrop to a public event or on your website please do your homework and find Creative Commons or Public Domain music that works. Or better yet, maybe you should commission a student or educator to write one for you! ~B

Using Tech as a Tool – Necessary?

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The latest and greatest tech shows up. If you’re like I am, you are curious to see if it’s better than something you already use or different in the way it approaches a problem. Maybe it has lots of “bells and whistles”. Maybe the interface looks great. Whatever the reason, discovering new tech can be exciting and almost heady as we explore some great new apps or software.

What is the reason for using the new tech? Is it just because it’s shiny and new? Or does it really have a purpose that will greatly improve your life or the life of your students?

My job is the help teachers and staff learn to use technology in a way that supports their curriculum and enhances their teaching and learning. Sometimes the needs are obvious – “How do I?…” or “I can’t seem to get it to…”. These statements have simple answers (usually!) Yet how do you help someone who doesn’t even know the question to ask?

Like any sound educational practice, looking at the ‘Why?’ behind the use of technology is a great place to start. We set goals and objectives for our students. We determine a standard of what needs to be taught. Why don’t we do the same for teaching adults to integrate software into their teaching? Maybe you already do. I certainly try to do this!

Time Management
“Time Management” by danielfoster437 
is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

My “Why” for teaching teachers has many facets. Each teacher is different, yet each teacher should exhibit the same end goal. Something that is best for students. The “customers” are our students. They deserve to have an engaging education and that must involve various forms of technology. They have grown up in a tech world. They are easily bored. Rather than just throwing the tech at them for the WOW factor, we need to be encouraging them to utilize the tech as a tool. A stepping stone to get to the skills they need to get employed. And it has to start in Kindergarten. If we wait until fourth or fifth grade, we have waited too long.

Technology can open the world of creativity for students. They can use it to collaborate with others globally, to be self-motivated, to set deadlines and personal goals. But only if we teach them how to do that. We can’t ever assume that students, or teachers, have already mastered self-discipline, time management, collaboration, or communication. In other words, teaching soft skills.

While I’m not a fan of the term soft skills, it is used with regularity in the business world. What are soft skills? Will Kenton describes soft skills in this way:

Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person’s relationships with other people. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s knowledge and occupational skills. Sociologists may use the term soft skills to describe a person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as opposed to intelligence quotient (IQ).

Soft skills have more to do with who people are, rather than what they know. As such, they encompass the character traits that decide how well one interacts with others and usually are a definite part of an individual’s personality. In a competitive labor market, employees who demonstrate they have a good combination of hard and soft skills often see a greater demand for their services.

Soft Skills. (2021). Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/soft-skills.asp

Quarantine taught us a lot about the lack of self-discipline. Both the self-discipline of our students and the self-discipline of ourselves. I’m a scheduled person. I thrive when I have my calendar completely organized well in advance of dates. I organized calendars for my family and manage multiple calendars. I like this. Many people don’t. It makes me calm and helps me plan. I still manage to miss or arrive late to meetings, but then it’s my own fault for not allowing enough time. I do that a lot. Time fleets.

Soft skills became a necessary thing to acquire for students and teachers thrust into learning from home. Some learned it. Sadly, many did not. But don’t underestimate your students! They are quite resourceful if you let go of the control just a little bit. They become motivated when it’s something they want to learn.

So back to technology tools. Tool training is important, but not for the reason you might think. Tool training is important because it is the foundation to get to the end goal. It’s not about the tool. For example, you can’t build a house unless you know how to use a ruler, a saw, and a hammer at the very least. So learning how to use the tools matters. Over time you learn the nuances and tricks of the trade with those tools. Just like software.

Start with your “Why?”. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with someone to test things out. Build the capacity of your students and colleagues by sharing what you learn, what you create, and how you do things. No one has all of the answers, but getting some tool training can help you to be more productive, innovative and lead the way for your students to thrive. ~B

What I’ve Learned from Teleworking

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Working from home for the last 12 months has been an interesting study in resilience. My office space has become a place for huge productivity. I have learned to work with multiple devices on multiple platforms and keep a very tight schedule. Previously, I traveled locally between schools to handle my job. Now I can literally move from one school to another in 5 seconds. Efficiency has increased exponentially.

https://unsplash.com/photos/moReXaMWSzQ?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

I am able to structure my workday easily now. I have alarms set to make sure I handle all of my deadlines. I rarely get off task – except when I need to in order to mentally survive the challenges I face in front of the screen.

Do I like teleworking? Yes! Mostly because I’m far more productive than before. I am spending less time driving. The relaxation of driving is something I do miss, but I am a better employee and using school district money better when my commute is 10 steps away behind a sound dampening curtain.

Virtual conferences are challenging in this environment. I’ve attended and/or presented at 4 virtual conferences this year. But, I didn’t take time off from work to do that. I continued to work and assist teachers because they are my first priority. Always. The challenge that presented was the inability to really learn well while trying to facilitate learning for others. Very stressful.

I’ve also learned that one can bake bread around a very busy work schedule. Instead of taking a lunch break, I take a baking break. (Sourdough anyone?) Doing something for others has helped me keep my sanity during this time, too.

I have worked with many more teachers and administrators this year than ever. They are willing to schedule an appointment and just jump into a Google Meet to help solve problems, answer questions and strategize the best ways to assist their staff. We have definitely learned to work smarter as well as harder.

I do love to be around real people. But, would I keep teleworking if given the option? You bet. It has been a stressful year, yet I now know that we are all able to function in an online environment if needed. Soon I’ll be back in schools – next week – so we can expect my productivity to take a huge nosedive. No extra screens. Building in time for travel that amounts to a minimum of about an hour of my workday.

Here’s to all of my fellow virtual colleagues!

Musings During Covid 19

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Homemade sourdough bread
Homemade Sourdough Bread

I call these musings because, well, I don’t know what else to term them. I find myself wondering what to write about since I don’t necessarily feel I have anything worth saying. Although if it’s not interesting I guess you can stop here!

One of the things I have found myself doing is more hands-on work at home. I often find myself puttering in my garden, baking bread, and just spending time outdoors.

I don’t really know why I’m so driven to encourage myself to use my hands to create, but I assume it’s because I need to have myself in touch with real things. Not virtual education, but real, tangible things.

Going back to work almost a month earlier than I did last year, has put a different spin on what my work life looks like. I find myself so engaged with my work that the whole day will go by, and I don’t even know that it’s passed! I’m not sure if this is because there’s so much work to do, or if this is because I am enjoying my work so much. I am very blessed to be able to have a job that I love!

Being in the workforce for nearly 50 years has really taken different turns in my life. I often wonder if my life would be the same if I hadn’t been in education nearly the entire time. Well, I may not have always been doing the exact same teaching job that I’m doing now, but I’ve certainly been teaching something all of my life.

Where do you find your passion? Does your job make you feel excited to get up every day? Not that mine has always made me feel excited to get up, but it certainly makes me excited to work every day. Not a lot of people can say that. What a blessing!

I hope that you have found your passion in life. I hope that your work is fulfilling, exciting, and worth getting up for every day. While the drudgery of jobs can turn into something we dread, I feel as if finding the excitement and passion is something you must do. When we can find the excitement and the passion it’s not work at all. It becomes something that we are, something that we become, and something that fulfills us.

Finishing An Unprecedented Year

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A year ago, who would have thought that teleworking would be a thing in education? The options that have presented themselves in these last few months have both propelled education forward and at the same time exposed the weaknesses in our previous systems.

My Thoughts

Holding a job as a Digital Learning Coordinator has put me, along with my colleagues, in a pivotal role in our District. Our work has been completely validated as we provide staff training, build new courses and deliver just-in-time instruction to a district with over 10k+ teachers.

What has fascinated me the most, is the willingness of even the most reluctant learner to avail themselves of tools and training that previously they had resisted or didn’t even know existed. The thirst for knowledge that seasoned teachers like myself, all the way to those teachers just beginning, have sought out in order to make learning more active for their students has been nothing short of amazing.

While I have definitely worked more hours a day in the last 3 months than I had previously, it has been so incredibly rewarding. The look on a teacher’s face in a video call when he/she “gets it” is so rewarding. The relationships built with my immediate colleagues over endless hours of collaboration and designing of materials has fueled my thirst for more knowledge. The amount of things that I’ve learned from both my team as well as the teachers and staff I have the privilege of working with has been nothing short of overwhelming.

I hope my colleagues know how much I appreciate them. If you’re reading this and I haven’t told you specifically, please know that I am very grateful for your collective knowledge, your collaboration and your grace throughout this time. If you are one of the thousands of staff members that I’ve interacted with this past school year, please know that I am very grateful for you as well. Your patience and understanding while we navigated these waters has been appreciated.

So, on this last day of the 2019-20 school year I reflect on the newness, the adaptation, and the amazing growth that we all have experienced this year. My #OneWord for this year was #GRACE. Little did I know how much I would need that this year. Stay well. ~BBV

Being an Educator During Unprecedented Times

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Our current circumstances have put educators in a very difficult position. Those that are comfortable with technology have become unwitting “experts” at teaching in a virtual space. I find myself feeling confident that if I don’t know the answer, that one of my colleagues or administrators WILL know the answers. However, sometimes the answers are not easily attainable since we have never done “this” before.

My school District, with close to 192,000 students and over 10,000 teachers, requires a huge amount of careful planning, decision making and organizing by many people to pull this off in a few short weeks. I have learned SO much in the last 21 days!

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

I am so grateful that our CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Marlo Gaddis is a visionary. She saw a need for my position (Digital Learning Coordinator) and created 19 of these positions to move our District forward. She has reorganized the Tech Services Division (TSD) and provided a clear picture for leadership in the digital space for our District.

The difference that all of these people have made both for this District and personally for me is amazing. Being on the leading edge of preparing teachers and administrators for our new paradigm has been exhausting and exhilarating.

I am grateful for the chance to make a real difference in our current circumstances. I am blessed to be able to telework, often many more hours a day than I’m used to, in order to help those who need guidance, support or even just an encouraging word.

Thank you to everyone who is working many hours to be ready to deliver learning in a new virtual space, in a new way, in a new world that we are still trying to understand. You are more needed now than ever before.

Stay well. Be safe. ~Barb

Thoughts of a Conference Presenter

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Presenting at state conferences is always so rewarding. When I accept an opportunity to present, I feel a sense of excitement and a bit of a thrill. “I can’t believe they want me!” Then as the weeks go by and work/home/family rolls along, I begin to think that maybe I shouldn’t have accepted. Maybe it just costs too much since there really isn’t any money in our budget for this trip. Maybe no one will come to my sessions. Maybe I’ll wander around aimlessly feeling lost because I only know one or two people that are in attendance.

Fast forward to the week before the conference. Oh no! I’ve hardly worked on those presentations that I started when I was first accepted. What was the description again? What have I learned about this topic since I first submitted my proposals? What has Google changed that I need to alter from where I was back then?

Even though I may have presented this very topic multiple times, I still have to customize the presentation for the audience and the venue. Some people might think the presentation part of it isn’t that important. Some of the sessions I’ve attended in my career certainly focus on content and not esthetics! But I feel that the visual part of the presentation is just as important as the content.

I recently spent several days learning about The Art and Science of Presenting from Phil Echols @PhilEchols and Chrys Brown from the Office of Professional Learning in Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, NC. These two excellent presenters provided multiple strategies that I have since continuously employed in my presentations.

Having a consistent template for slides makes the presentation look so much more professional. Providing links to the materials either at the session or before is really important for those that use the app or website for the conference. I’m guilty of forgetting to post the links prior to the sessions!

So why am I ruminating about all of this? Because sometimes attendees think that presenters breeze in and don’t have to do much. Because sometimes presenters try their best and the WIFI doesn’t work or the slides are out of order or they have too much content for the time allotted.

Presentation is a craft and an artform. Am I great at it? No. Am I good at it? I think so, but those of you who have seen me present should tell me what I need to improve on. Your feedback – both good and bad – help me to grow my style and improve my craft. If you have ever attended a conference, please be sure to provide feedback. If you’re a conference organizer, please provide that feedback to your presenters. Assessment is a key component of the process.

So now that I’m headed home from this conference, I am so appreciative of the opportunities I had. I filled my schedule with Music Technology sessions. I heard some great music by High School and Collegiate groups. I connected with people that are actively using technology in their band rooms, classrooms and choirs. And I have met some true pioneers in the field. Thank you, TN Music Educators Association for one of the best conferences I’ve been to in an amazing city full of music. #TnMEAConference

Friday Night Musings

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teachers at training As I reflect back on the previous week, I find myself returning to the same conclusion. Using technology and using technology well is an ongoing goal. While some might think I know a lot, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that I have so much more to learn.

Maybe it’s age. But the more I work with teachers and principals, the more I realize I need to learn much more than I know.

I have never considered myself an expert. I know a lot about certain things but I have so many areas that still need so much work.

Where are you in your Digital Learning? What are you doing to build your skills?

Fortunately, those that I work for have a vision of building capacity and reaching as many teachers as possible. In our 24 schools, we have worked with more than 475 teachers since the creation of this position. We have begun building relationships that I hope will sustain the work that we have started.

After three days as part of the NCTIES Conference as a learner, partner in education and presenter, I am further convinced that I have so much to learn.

#NCTIES19

How will you sustain your excitement about your latest professional learning? Will you share your excitement when you return to the classroom? Or will you tuck your knowledge away in the “been there, done that” file?

Let me encourage you, no, implore you, to extend your experience. Step out of your comfort zone. Take a risk. Fail forward. Model this growth mindset for your students and colleagues.

Public education is an amazing place. You make it an amazing place. WE make it an amazing place!

Spread the word, the ideas and most of all the enthusiasm that you have for each child, every day. You’ve got this!!

Expanding Your PD While Waiting in Traffic

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No, I’m not really checking my Twitter feed while sitting in traffic. (Not that I haven’t done that before). But, there are so many tools that can curate for you while you are busy doing other things. Last summer, most of my professional reading happened while waiting for my Dad to finish his cardiac rehab. It was quiet up there on the second floor of the medical building. Dad was getting his physical workout time and I was getting my brain workout time.

There is so much information to digest! I often get caught up in Twitter feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Info-whelmed I believe the term is. So I went looking for other ways to get the best of what worked for me so that I could add to this info whelming PD process.

There are lots of tools out there. Some seem more suited to my style of learning than others. The tools I choose to use for myself are not the same as what I might suggest a teacher use with students.  Common Sense Media has curated a good list of these: https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/great-apps-and-websites-for-curation

content curation tools map

Where do you find your inspiration? A young professional friend of mine commented that she’d never used Twitter. Never tweeted. Hmmm. Are we teaching the immense value of this platform?

While it’s rapid fire and sometimes I continue to feel info-whelmed, Twitter is still my go to for my PLN (Professional Learning Network). LinkedIn is becoming more like a cross between Facebook and Twitter. While I like both of those platforms for different reasons, I’m not ready to really spend a lot of time there – YET.

I find nuggets of information on social media. I really couldn’t curate as much data as I do without using Feedly.com. Feedly allows me to follow multiple blogs and grab information from so many sites. A quick read of headlines allows me to utilize my time in the most efficient way.

Social media is a powerful learning tool. How do you curate? Who do you follow? I look forward to learning from you!

#PD #ProfessionalLearning #Twitter #curate #alwayslearning