TIES Conference Summary: Katherine Vinje Stark: A CMLE Scholarship

The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Katherine Vinje Stark, Instructional Technology Specialist, at Pine Meadow Elementary in Sartell.

Left to right: Katy VinjeStark, Amanda Holstrom, Paul Moe

Reflection on TIES Conference

The TIES 2016 Conference was a success. It fulfilled my expectations in that I went with the hope of more tools for our 21st century learners, including maker spaces and to feel better equipped for more job embedded professional development in our school. The keynote speaker on Monday could not have stated better, “Do not postpone joy.” Too often we are stuck in the rush of life and forget that we need to have those joyful moments if not extended periods of time to truly soak it all in and learn. If we are joyful we can retain so much more and if we make learning joyful, we are putting everyone first.

The first session I attended was to get to know and exchange experiences with other tech coaches in the Midwest. This session helped me gauge where we are at here in Sartell and I felt that we are on track. We were able to share philosophies and missions of districts and bring back feedback/ideas to ours. This was a great takeaway as it helped me get a feel for a support group in the area as well.

Another very valuable session was on flipped professional development. A school district in Wisconsin started to flip their professional development after they noticed teachers were very disengaged. They talked about PD and how teachers need: active engagement, voice, choice, collaboration, effective use of time, teacher centered meetings, meaningful application to take back with them and put into practice, modeling, teacher leadership, and a personalized agenda. I definitely feel that I can put this into practice here at Pine Meadow Elementary. I’m excited to start the conversation with my administration.

This is a very brief summary of what I soaked in. Thank you so much for supporting our library by allowing me to attend and become more in awe and wonder as to how we can get our maker space up and running (fresh maker ideas were out yesterday helping to embed STEM and language arts) as well as continue to educate our teachers, students and community.

 

TIES Conference Summary: A CMLE Scholarship

The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Jeanette McNew, Talahi Media Specialist, St. Cloud School District.

I would like to thank CMLE for the scholarship to attend the TIES 2015 Conference:  Breaking Through: Transforming Pedagogy with Technology!

In 1990, I attended my first TIES conference and was inspired by Roger Wagner’s HyperStudio. Things have really changed since then, but once again I was thrilled to be able to attend. As a Media Specialist in a school library working to integrate a MakerSpace, I was eager to listen to Sylvia Martinez author of Invent to Learn. Although she made many good points about authentic learning in the area of STEM, George Couros, author of The Innovator’s Mindset, stole the show. He is a gifted speaker and truly inspired us to think about being a kid in our classroom while making us laugh and cry all in the same moment. Listening to his keynote really motivated me to improve on what I do for myself and my students each and every day.

What I love about TIES in the recent years is it is no longer about the newest and coolest technology, but has embraced the application of those technologies in real-time situations. Many times during the two days I would hear the comment, “My brain is full!” There is something for everyone and rarely do you find someone there who is not inspired by something they heard in a session or while collaborating with a new connection that was made. Do not misunderstand me – I was one of those in the “playground” this year checking out the Lego robotics, Swivl, and the Bee-bots.

Several sessions I attended really made me think about branding. Who are we allowing to brand our school and why do we let them control what is being said about us? How can we make social media work for us in branding our school and teaching digital citizenship? With that comes staff development. How do we best meet our teachers’ needs for staff development in a differentiated manner? There were several really good sessions with some great ideas to implement meeting these needs of students and staff.

Once again, thank you CMLE for the opportunity to attend this amazing conference.

 

Need financial help with the TIES Conference?

Are you tasked with providing leadership or support for educational technology in your work setting?

Over 3,100 teachers, technology coordinators, school and district administrators, technology experts, and exhibitors are expected to attend the upcoming  TIES Education Technology Conference on December 12-15 in Minneapolis. Register today to collaboratively learn, teach, share and network.

Need more general information? Interested in keynotes and featured speakers?

Don’t forget the possibility of attending via Virtual Conference. For $160, access both keynote presentations and ten breakout sessions! Includes live and archived access too.

Short of financial support? If you work in a library or school media center in Central MN, CMLE will support your learning with financial assistance up to $200. The application is easy and we are more than happy to help!

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Aaron Wilson), licensed under CC0 1.0

TIES Technical Leadership Conference in St. Cloud

The future of wireless technology
Wireless is fast becoming the way to access applications and content. The challenge is in meeting the demand for access fueled by the proliferation of iPads, Android devices and a range of mobile handhelds. Explore the future of wireless technology with Xirrus CEO Shane Buckley.
	Designed for > technology coordinators > school administrators > technical support staff > network administrators > technology integrationists
Plus more! > “Unconference” for sharing, discussing and learning > Leveraging social media for schools and districts > Best practices for help desks > Technology support tools Choose from two hotels—St. Germaine or Kelly Inn You will be given two hotel choices when you register. However, as hotels fill up, we will have to make assignments based on availability.
Cost: $275 for two days  (including meals and lodging). Other registration options are also available.
.                                   Dates are February 13-14, 2014
This e-mail has been sent to statewide technology coordinators and directors.

To get more details or to register, go to http://tinyurl.com/le5cyz5

TIES Conference: CMLE Scholarship Report

The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Paul Moe,  Sartell Elementary Instructional Technology Specialist

TIES 2013 Conference – Fast Forward; Transforming Pedagogy with Technology

I would like to thank CMLE for accepting my scholarship application!

I had a very good time at the TIES conference and  attended many excellent sessions. I  was able to find several new iPad apps that we are currently using in our schools. I also attended a few sessions on how other districts are managing their iPads. I found that we are all going through a rapidly changing time, which makes it hard to manage these new devices easily. It was nice to see that even large school districts such as St. Paul are dealing with the same issues we are.

I was also able to make some connections with colleagues from other school districts and have started setting up some meetings to discuss our uses of Schoology. We are hoping to have a google hangout with a few other districts to share what’s working and what is not with Schoology and iPads. The evenings were also filled with lots of sharing on how things are going with iPad carts with a group from Grand Rapids. They are trying to decide on which device to purchase and had many questions about the iPads. I was also able to attend a social sponsored by Schoology where I was able to get some inside information on future updates and changes. As is the case with most conferences, I left with tons of new ideas but will focus on a few new apps and improving our use of Schoology.

Thank you again for the opportunity.