I was up Friday really early trying to post my classroom instructions on Google and getting Flipgrid ready for verbal FRQs.  After a nice omelet, I was ready for Day Two!

The Google You Might Not Know About

Leslie Fischer again, this time about some of the hidden tricks and stories behind Google.  And…………….nope. 

Me and a colleague got there ten minutes early and the doors were shut because all seats were taken and no standing or sitting was allowed.  For some reason CUE had put one of the most popular presenters in a smaller room and person after person was turned away.  And a line was already forming for Leslie’s next session…….90 minutes later.  I wasn’t going to miss that one so I sat down and waited.  I was not happy that I was wasting the session but I wasn’t going to miss a potential gold mine. 

The Web You Might Not Know About

Only about 20 people left Leslie’s previous Presentation and this meant a made rush for seats.  My colleague and I nailed two next to each other and settled in waiting 20 minutes for session to start.  Leslie was clearly annoyed as a Convention Center official ushered people out of the room without a seat.  She actually confronted a CUE official and asked if they could be moved to Oasis 4 (could hold 2,000 people) or if she could present on Saturday as a method to catch people up.  We didn’t move rooms and to my knowledge a Saturday session never happened. 

And it was a gold mine.  About 30% of the presentation was tools I already knew about, and then the exciting moments started to happen.  It was the “Oh my god, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!” moments.  It was like someone out there was researching ways to make my job easier and more engaging for students at the same time!  I ended up so focused on a couple of items that I probably missed some things that were relevant.  Not to worry, I still have her presentation.  What I found especially useful:  Weekly Maps, Deepl Translator, Aviary Photo Editor, and Knight Lab JS from Northwestern University. 

101 Hyperdoc Hacks

I walked two blocks down the street to the Hilton for my next two sessions.

I’ve been interested in the concept of Hyperdocs for about two years but the work involved in creating them makes me hesitant to pull the trigger.  Lisa Highfill (the Hyperdoc creator) did an earlier presentation I could not attend and the two ladies conducting the session were the next best thing.  Once again, packed.  And once again, the Internet was spotty at best.  The presentation was less about hacks and more about the basics of how to create them, which helped me out since I was struggling spinning my wheels to get started.  I downloaded their presentation just in time though as the Internet went out.  It’s a bit difficult to do Hyperdocs with no Internet.  The room was getting warm and the people slammed shoulder to shoulder were getting testy so I snuck out about 60% (the presenters basically told people to converse while they tried to make adjustments) and headed to another session about Problem Based Learning.  There was no Internet there either.  Now totally aggravated, I sluffed back to the Convention Center and caught the tail end of Martin Cisneros’ presentation on Blended Learning strategies for English Learners.  Note to me; find his full presentation next time.

Developing the Ecosystem to Support High Quality Project Based Learning

I missed Buck Institutes big Project Based Learning session on Wednesday afternoon as my flight arrived too late but this was a nice substitute.  I was really looking for some lesson design ideas within the concept of Problem Based Learning but this was more in the realm of an overall atmosphere that engages in Problem Based Learning.  I got a couple of nice ideas that might create more engagement within the class but I’m not entirely sure I’m up to creating entire Project Based Learning units.  It’s a significant time commitment to create a good size unit. 

Overall CUE was a net positive, although Internet connectivity issues and being constantly turned away from sessions can not be acceptable for the amount of money school districts are paying to attend.  The conference also allowed for time to get to know colleagues outside of my building; a very good thing since one starts to realize that some of the issues that I’m facing are prevalent in other departments as well.  There were ten of us at the conference and there was an overwhelming desire to see significant structural changes within our school in regards to everything from pedagogy to attendance to discipline.  Those interactions are net positive.

When we return from Spring Break, the ten of us are supposed to each give a five minute presentation to the rest of the staff regarding a pedagogical approach or Ed Tech item to improve the classroom experience.  I’m thinking of showing the staff some ideas from Jon Corippo’s presentation but I’m going to need more than 5 minutes. 

I least I know I’ll have Internet.