I work in a school district that is fairly large in size. We have 13 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools! I have been teaching 5th grade in my district for 4.5 years and I am constantly looking for ways to make my teaching even better. Two years ago, my district started a digital cohort, where teachers had to apply to become a member of a group, who learned how to integrate technology correctly into the classroom. I did not apply for the first cohort because it seemed intimidating. This past school year, my district opened up a second digital cohort. You had to submit an application, like the previous year. This time I applied and it was the BEST decision I could have made! The second digital cohort was formed by teachers in various grades, subjects and schools within our district. We met a couple days every couple months with our coach, Weston Kieschnick. Wes pushed us to become even better teachers with each training! He made sure that we were looking at the outcomes and strategies first, before jumping in to any type of tech tool. He helped us as teachers to fine tune our craft and showed us how to use the blended learning format in our classrooms. Wes helped us realize many things, but there are two that will always stick with me: technology should be invisible in the classroom, not the main event and you need to step outside of your comfort zone because that's where some of the best teaching happens! Being a part of this cohort also meant having observations with our other coach, Venola Mason. Through these coaching sessions, Venola invited me to travel to the Model Schools Conference, held by ICLE, with herself, her partner Erika Tate and a high school teacher from Alabama, Miranda. At the conference we would be facilitating the Quad D Idea Lab sessions for teachers. At these sessions, teachers would rotate through 3 of the 4 Quad D stations and participate in various activities we designed! Saying yes to this was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I knew the experience would push me to become a better educator. The conference was held in Orlando, Florida. We held our sessions 4 times during the conference and helped teachers think about how they could do similar Quad D lessons back in their schools. Our stations covered various subjects and topics. One station was working with ozobots, utilizing math and science. Another station was called Re-Design, where teachers designed a classroom. The other station was focused on Maker Spaces, where teachers created or invented new historical monuments. My Quad D station was utilizing Flipgrid and growth mindset. Teachers had to create a TedTalk audition video explaining why growth mindset is important. The entire experience was AMAZING! What made this opportunity amazing were the many chances I had to collaborate and interact with others who were just as passionate as I am with education! I met educators from all over the country, who taught various grades and subjects. Each new meeting brought conversations centering around how we use these rigorous, relevant, and real world projects in our classroom. I gathered some new ideas and I sent some new ideas off with the educators I met. I am so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and took a leap into this experience.
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