Book Recommendation: 20time Project by Kevin Brookhouser

By Kim Miklusak

This year I have started doing a version of the 20% Time Project in my American Literature classroom.  You can read more about my experiences in this learning process on my other blog: This is Why We Write.  There are also several links on earlier posts that share the documents I provided to my students including background on 20% Time and specific requirements for our project.

I first learned about 20% Time when we attended the ISTE Conference over the summer.  The session hosted by several teachers in this field blew my mind; however, it was a connection I made via Twitter with Joy Kirr that really opened up the amount of resources available.  Through speaking with Joy, I was able to access the many links she has hosted on the Live Binder site, her own personal experiences, and more contacts available through Twitter.  Another resource I leaned heavily on was Tom Driscoll's Flipped History site, which provides not only excellent materials, but also insightful reflection. Much of what I did in my classroom is modeled off the work he has done and shared.

Now there is an excellent new resource available that I highly recommend--not only for teachers consider starting 20% Time in their classroom, but also for those of us who have just started like myself.  There can be a steep learning curve in unveiling this project for the first time.  Kevin Brookhouser's book The 20Time Project: how educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready innovation explores the why and the how of 20% Time from theory to practice including a letter home to parents and example timelines of student projects.  He provides practical steps that are easy to add to your own classroom.  This is a must-have for any teacher thinking about adding a student choice project to the curriculum!

Twitter for School & Classroom Culture

This isn't a shameless plug for #214SpiritEG.  Well, I guess by default it sort of is; however, I wanted to build off Linda's post from Monday.

District 214 is holding a Twitter Spirit Week in honor of the Centennial this week.  They asked each school community to tweet to its specific hashtag all week, and the winning school will get burritos from a local business.  This is, I believe, the second year they've run a contest like this.  Additionally, they have celebrated #214oneday and #214bday, which were well received by many in and out of the district.

In addition to fun competition between schools, what events like this show are how a classroom, a school, and a district can leverage social media in a positive way.  Instead of banning technology and punishing students for using their phones & iPads in class, we can reward them when they are using them responsibly to enhance learning.  We can redirect students to create a positive digital culture and an audience for their work beyond the four classroom walls.  This has been shown through some of our school's class hashtags like #EGLTS and #FRAPEG--both of which have been blogged about on this site (here and here) and whose digital presences and influences are growing constantly.  It is possible to use Twitter and other forms of social media to enhance student learning!

Additionally, Twitter has become an important source of professional development for many educators.  For example, I have connected with so many teachers for resources and feedback on our 20% Time Project (#20Time/#GeniousHour).  Other teachers find contacts and resources via Twitter chats.  No matter what you're looking to work on in your own professional development or classroom content, there is someone out there to easily network with on Twitter.  If you'd like to learn more, please leave a comment or stop in to the CollabLab!

Also, go #214SpiritEG!

The Impact of Social Media in the Classroom

Today the CollabLab welcomes Joe Bush, a teacher in the Social Studies department at Elk Grove.  Joe can be reached @josephdbush

I was never too fond of the term "social media."  I felt like it was a waste of time or something people did just to see others “like” pictures that were posted.  My perspective changed a great deal when social media avenues such as Twitter and Blogspot were presented in a new and interesting way. At the beginning of my Leadership Through Service Class, Linda Ashida came in and discussed digital leadership and digital footprints. These terms were foreign to me in the first place, but I quickly saw the powerful nature of blogging and tweeting. 

The first step we took in developing a digital footprint for both my students and myself was creating professional twitter accounts. These were to be used to help students connect with teachers, leaders, and each other as a forum to discuss topics with leadership or curate what they have done throughout the year. 

Although it has only been two months, my students and myself have made huge strides in chronicling our successes in class through Twitter (#EGLTS).  In addition, we have all made connections with leaders in the business community who have led us down avenues of positive leadership and growth.  The connections have expanded our worldviews and have helped us to grow into better people and leaders. 

In addition to Twitter, we have also used Blogspot to archive our class successes.  Every other week, students are given a topic to Blog about.  We have the benefit of reading each other’s blogs and commenting on them. This gives the students an authentic audience to share ideas with.  Overall I am very pleased with the use of social media in my class. Students have taken it seriously, we have connected with outside resources that we did not even know existed, and have grown as leaders.