Showing posts with label educators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educators. Show all posts

Friday, August 17, 2012

Award Day and Leadership Training: Leaders of Today cultivating Leaders of Tomorrow

After spending four days with teachers, it was soon time to celebrate with the students. That means: The Globeys!

A view of the prizes!
Who needs the Olympics when you have this?

For those who don’t know, The Globeys is Globaloria’s annual award ceremony for student games. We have a ceremony for each of the states we work with, this year’s being Texas, California, and West Virginia. Because Globaloria focuses on effort and creativity, we don’t solely look at whose games work the best. We look for a good idea, originality, education factor, and how much effort went into the production of the game. So, potential is just as important in doing well in this competition as quality would be.

The energy during the ceremony was fantastic! Everyone was very excited to be there. It was especially nice to see the smiling students and their hard work being shown off. In addition, for me, it was nice to see how everyone’s hard work – from the school’s side, with teachers, students, and administrators to the World Wide Workshop side, with Shannon, Denise, and many others – came together. It really helped me understand the impact that everyone’s roles have. Kudos to everyone making this all possible!

All of the winners!
The Winners!
After the Globeys, we had another training session devoted to training administrators. We did not have them make games, but we did show them the tools they needed to support their teachers. It was nice to see the administrators take such an active role in Globaloria.

After getting the administrators up to speed, we all headed to the Leadership Inspiration Awards at the Caperton manor. Being a newcomer to Globaloria, it was a very eye-opening experience. Various principals and superintendents shared their Globaloria stories, which really showed me how devoted everyone was to the mission of Globaloria. Overall, the entire trip was amazing, and I encourage anyone that has an opportunity to go to a Globaloria training to go and do it!

- Jonathan

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Hidden Object Game: Old faces, new problems.


The latter two days were focused on actual game design aspect of the curriculum. This was also the time that the returning educators joined the fray. Flash design and programming was a new concept to the new educators. The returning educators had experience programming in Flash after going through their first year, but they had to work on a Hidden Object game, a new addition to the curriculum this year. So, ultimately everyone was on the same page as far as the project goes!


Some of the new educators.
The new educators working on their games.
The new educators did a great job in the short period that they used Flash! The games weren’t perfect (what game is, really?), but they had some really wonderful ideas in the scope of a Hidden Object game. There were games about literature, game about history, and some about science. All of them were great! It was especially nice to see the educators grow more confident with Flash (quite literally) overnight! A lot of them surprised themselves on how much they understood about the program after a few hours of tinkering and experimenting with the features and with the curriculum. Future educators, please note: You can do it too!


The returning educators are working hard on their hidden object games.
The returning educators working on their games.
Watching the returning educators tackle the Hidden Object game was very encouraging to me. They really showed what a difference a year of experience can make. The returners were in the same shoes as the newcomers last year, so seeing them so confident with Flash after about a year of use was nice to see. Once again, future educators: You can do it too!

Overall, everyone did a great job! Kudos to all of the educators!

WV New Educators 2012: Stepping up to the plate.

Learning more about the cirriculum.
Shannon talking more about the curriculum.


The first two out of the four days were dedicated getting the new educators up to speed about Globaloria at large. This means getting them acquainted with who we are, what we do, and what their roles are. Shannon and veteran teachers Denise, Bill, and Diane lead the discussions. Me and interns (and Globaloria alumni) Lindsey and Valerie were also there to help. All of the educators had eager faces, and were a combination of being excited about the program, and being terrified about programming Flash. Nonetheless, they were all willing to give the program a try, which is what the program encourages – effort.


Learning about Blogger.
Bill leads the discussion about Blogger.

Training in Charleston, WV 2012


Hello everyone! My name is Jonathan, the new kid on the block running the Help Desk for Globaloria, among other things. To further facilitate my training, Shannon invited me to join her with her trip to Charleston, West Virginia. There I helped out with training both the new and returning educators of WV (and one from TX). It was a great time, and I have some neat pictures showcasing the busyness and energy of the event. I also stayed for the West Virginia Globies, which was a blast as well! Without further ado, let’s get started!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Time for Time Management

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin',slippin' into the future."
- lyrics from "Fly Like and Eagle," Steve Miller Band

Sometimes, I think the members of the Steve Miller Band must have been teachers, because our schedules often feel just like that. As the pressures of the day go on, it can often become very easy to shortcut processes and projects; trying to fit it all in to our schedule. Even when it feels like an overload, it is all just a matter of time management.

In Globaloria, the Course Schedule is a great tool for planning ahead and it is easier than a standard lesson plan. Using this tool can help a teacher and their class feel more organized and secure in their delivery. For new teachers especially, this is a tool that can help a lot of the tension and insecurities in tackling new things like Flash and ActionScript. It allows us to plan ahead and take comfortable "bites" of material while still making forward progress. Just take a look at Heather's , Aaron's, and MCTC's schedules for different examples of how they can be used.

A second tool that can assist in time management is the Learning Log. This tool lets students and teachers reflect on successes and struggles. As a teacher, seeing what topics have stalled your class for an extra hour or day can help you adjust the future and make it easier for all parties involved. It can even help you to see what skills the students are mastering faster to alleviate extra time on redundant lessons.

In your experience with the program, have you discovered any special tips for time management in Globaloria? Please share your insights with the community!

-Bill

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Music Men

There were so many memorable moments from the Globaloria Summer Academy worth writing about, but only a precious few are preserved for posterity in video. It's lucky for us that one such moment was the spontaneous concert put on by our rock stars: Jim Allder, Kevin Warfield and Bob Turbanic -- a true highlight of the Academy. I'm happy to announce that thanks to the masterful uploading skills of our intern Trevor, these talented men have been officially launched into the glamorous world of YouTube celebrity!

Jim and Kevin's update of (and improvement upon) Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" with a Web 2.0-centric "Summer of 2009" got things off to a lively start:



Watch Jim's rendition of "The Cat Came Back", and the group sing-along of "Summer of 2009" here. Also check out Jim's vintage clip from 1986 on his GEHS Band Blog.

The festivities concluded with an impromptu performance by Bob of "The Train Carrying Jimmy Rogers Home." This blew us all away:



For those who don't know the music of Jimmy Rogers, you can find a playlist here.

I'm only grieved that the video quality isn't worthy of its subjects. You guys will have to give us an encore at the August Academy!

For the musically inclined, I've listed below some web 2.0 music websites you may want to experiment with:

www.imeem.com
www.blip.fm
www.pandora.com
www.rhapsody.com

Your GB,
Rachel

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Collaboration at the Globaloria Advisory Board Meeting

I was thrilled to attend the Globaloria Advisory Board Meeting in Charleston on June 2nd. It isn't often that policy makers, government officials, industry leaders, school administrators, educators and students come together to share their perspectives on the learning process. This kind of "meeting of the minds" is crucial for the success of any educational intervention – especially one that is as new and innovative as Globaloria.

A fundamental tenet of the Globaloria learning philosophy is collaboration. Globaloria encourages joint learning, creation and exploration among both students and educators. It utilizes technology to create an active statewide virtual learning community that transcends the physical borders separating schools and districts. As cool as this is, last week's Advisory Board meeting reminds us that there is no substitute for the dynamic interchange that takes place when we're able to gather in the same room to share perspectives on Globaloria.

Educators panel, (left to right): Ingrida Barker (Sandy River Middle School), Angela Cruikshank (Capital High School) and Denise Stalnaker (Randolph Technical Center).

I especially enjoyed listening to the educators reflect on their Globaloria experiences. Randolph Technical Center (RTC) teacher Denise Stalnaker claimed with Globaloria, “I think I'm a better teacher, but I'm doing less teaching.” Ingrida Barker from Sandy River Middle School agreed that the program "pushes you as an educator." The panel, which also included Angela Cruikshank, a teacher at Capital High School, Clinton Giles, principal of Capital High School and Don Johnson, principal of RTC, variously reflected on the challenges and successes they experienced with Globaloria's forward-looking program.

It strikes me that many of the educator's comments mirrored one student presenter's feelings on Globaloria. “I didn't think I'd get anywhere in this program" said Tyler, a game designer from Capital High School, "I thought I was just screwed.”

When First Lady Gayle Manchin asked Tyler how he felt when he was able to overcome his trepidation and succeed with Globaloria, he replied succinctly: “It made me want to jump around a lot.”

Clearly, Tyler has a way with words.

Tyler presents his game at the Globaloria Advisory Board Meeting.

The prevailing sentiment of the June 2009 Advisory Board Meeting was an embrace of productive challenges and the continued commitment to work together as we advance into the future.

In light of all this, I have to agree with Don Johnson who claims, "it is such an exciting time to be in education."

You could even say, it makes me want to jump around a lot.

Your GB,
Rachel

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Blogging Globalora Educators

We are so excited about Year 2 here at Globaloria. Our educators have really committed to blogging about their progress and experiences as part of the Globaloria WV program. This increased activity and reflection has really enhanced our community and connected peer educators throughout the state.

Here is a list of our educators' blogs. I have included a link to their profile on their school wiki, a link to their blog where you can read all about their classroom, and a link to the RSS feed that would allow you to subscribe to their blog if you want.

Take a minute to check them out, subscribe to them, and learn about the program, and be sure to leave comments!


Randy Cantrell

Blog: http://randycan77.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://randycan77.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Heidi Fitzpatrick

Blog: http://heidiglobaloriapage.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://heidiglobaloriapage.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Megan McGee

Blog:http://meganmcgee1701.blogspot.com

RSS:http://meganmcgee1701.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default


Bill Dorsey

Blog: http://capitalhsta.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://capitalhsta.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default


Angela Cruikshank

Blog: http://cruikshank-globaloria.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://cruikshank-globaloria.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Lisa Dolan

Blog: http://ldolan.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://ldolan.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Vicky Neal

Blog: http://vnealart.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://vnealart.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Bobbi Scofield

Blog: http://my2amthoughts.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://my2amthoughts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Les Mullins

Blog: http://lmullens.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://lmullens.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Abbie Franks

Blog: http://zippyspage.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://zippyspage.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Jim Allder

Blog: http://jimallder.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://jimallder.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Richard Cowley

Blog: http://cowleycomments.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://cowleycomments.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Natalie Ellis

Blog: http://natalieellis.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://natalieellis.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Patrick Smith

Blog: http://patrickstronsmith.blogspot.com

RSS: http://patrickstronsmith.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Lori Tate

Blog: http://missloriglobaloriaclass.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://missloriglobaloriaclass.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Carl Carpenter

Blog: http://carpsglobaloria.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://carpsglobaloria.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Denise Stalnaker

Blog: http://helpdeniseteach.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://helpdeniseteach.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Ingrida Barker

Blog: http://ingridasblog.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://ingridasblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default


Jeremy Reed

Blog: http://www.sweetjessereed.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://sweetjessereed.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Sara Garrett

Blog: http://www.blogbymrsg.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://blogbymrsg.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Tonji Bowen

Blog: http://glifeckat.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://glifeckat.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default