Design Thinking- A Project Based Way to Solve Challenges

I have never heard of or used Design Thinking as a way to solve a challenge, but after doing some research for my second EdTechTeam Teacher Leader Class on Project Based Learning, I would love to try this process with a group of teachers or administrators in this upcoming school year.  It could provide innovative solutions to challenges faced in our schools!

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Unit 1 Final Project- Collaborate with the World Lesson

Two weeks and I know my Personal Learning Network (PLN) has grown by leaps and bounds.  Being connected to other educators means sharing and gaining new ideas, transforming our practices, and building collegiality with others who are working towards effective technology integration in their schools.  We share and consume each other's information to use in our lives as educators to prepare and teach students, teachers, and administrators in innovative ways.

Technology has really transformed how I communicate with each other.  In my 13 years in teaching, never have I been able to learn so much from others by simply logging on to a computer.  During these past two weeks I was able to collaborate with others in an instant (via Slack, which I love!), plan an entire digital citizenship lesson, Hangout with others around the world, and review other final projects- all with the click of a few buttons.

It doesn't matter if we teach in the same school, work in the same district, state, or time zone, or even live on the same continent!  Technology levels the playing field and we are all instantly connected.  When else in our lives have we had this amount of resources and knowledge at our fingertips?

Check out my final project- a pd session that I've been wanting to provide since I started building my PLN using Twitter this past January.

Collaborate with the World Final Project

Meet Christi Introduction Video

Hello from Chico, CA!

Image sources:

Chico Unified Logo: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/771432811/CUSD_logo-1.jpg
Luther College Bell: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Luther_bell.jpg
University of Missouri, Columbia: http://www.accessbackgroundscreen.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Columbia.jpg
Lesley University: https://writingpostmasters.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/lesley_university.jpg
Toby Mac Life Quote: https://www.facebook.com/tobymac/photos/a.241173571178.147755.10162931178/10153635084926179/?type=3&theater

#InLove with Adobe Education Exchange

Once again, I have to give a shout out to the FREE professional learning opportunities available on the Adobe Education Exchange, or Adobe EdEx.

Here's my final assignment from the Publishing class I just completed- an interactive document that explains step-by-step how to create a QR Scavenger Hunt for your students: http://christibangsund.blogspot.com/2016/04/qr-code-scavenger-hunt-yes-please.html.

I am definitely 'self-taught' when it comes to programs and software.  I knew a little about InDesign and had the 'basics' down (or what I thought were the basics), but wow.  5 weeks and 5 assignments later I can create way better documents, even interactive documents, with the InDesign (as seen above)!

From a previous post about Adobe EdEx, here's why I (still) love it:

1.  It's free.

2.  It's totally online and done in your own time and space.  I literally did all 5 weeks of coursework in 1 week.

3.  It's free.

4.  Collaborative environment with Adobe professionals as the teachers- Each week the teachers go over content and give you an assignment to create and post for other participants to see and give feedback. 

5.  Classroom Applications galore (your imagination is the only limit!)- You also get to see and give feedback to other's work, which, can in turn, inspire a more ideas!

6.  It's free.

7.  The cool badge you get after completing the course. (cha-ching!)

Visit the Adobe Education Exchange at http://edex.adobe.com/professional-development/courses to check out what is coming up!  Try one class, try several.  You will be glad you did!

QR Code Scavenger Hunt? Yes, Please!

See the layout full screen here.

I'm in love with these 3 Apps/Extensions- as a Teacher and a Mom!

Here are 3 new apps/extensions that I am in LOVE with!  I tutor a group of 2nd graders each morning and am DEFINITELY using these to augment the learning (and infuse technology...it's a win win!)

Epic! Books Online

An online database of books, free for teachers.  Books organized by category; age range, average reading time and AR Level information listed with each book.

Available for Chromebooks and iPads (click image below to download or add to Chrome browser)

   

Green Screen by Do Ink

Students can create green screen pictures using an iPad or iPhone. Great tool to augment students writing and reading in your classroom!

Not available for Chromebooks. $2.99 in the App Store

(click image to download from App Store)

Google Tone

Does it take forever for students to type in a web address?  Send it to them wirelessly with Google Tone.  By adding Google Tone to your Chrome web browser, you can ‘send’ a website to each student’s device by simply pressing the Google Tone button. See how it works with this 26 second video.

Available in the Chrome Web Store:

(click image to download from Chrome Web Store)

Up Your Skills with Adobe Education Exchange

Looking to up your tech skills?  Adobe has fantastic online professional development- for educators- on their products.

Here's why I love it (after taking just one course so far...):

1.  It's free.

2.  It's totally online and done in your own time and space.

3.  It's free.

4.  Collaborative environment with Adobe professionals as the teachers

5.  Classroom Applications galore (your imagination is the only limit!)

6.  It's free.

7.  The cool badge you get after completing the course.

I've used Adobe products for quite some time but am totally self-taught.  I was looking for something to spur my creativity and found Adobe's online Collaborative Courses one day.

The first course I took was on Adobe Muse and I am currently taking a Publishing course using Adobe's InDesign.  Both courses are about 4 weeks long.  You can 'attend' the live class each week OR (as I do) go through the week's class on your own time.  Each week the teachers go over content and give you an assignment to create and post for other participants to see and give feedback.  You also get to see and give feedback to other's work, which, can in turn, inspire a more ideas!

Here's my product from the first class- totally NOT done- but a work in progress as our district moves to create a technology continuum that will 'live' online.  This is a website created in Adobe Muse- web authoring software.  You can see how I've organized our work here: http://cusdedtech.businesscatalyst.com.

Check out the upcoming courses:

• Train the Trainer: Creative Cloud
• Animation
• App Design
• Digital Storytelling with Adobe Mobile and Web Apps

Visit the Adobe Education Exchange at http://edex.adobe.com/professional-development/courses for more information.