An Award & A Reflection

When I saw this tweet, I was both happy and deeply saddened.

Congratulations to the 2022 CUE Award Winners! CUE will be celebrating them at #SpringCUE next month in Palm Springs during Thursday’s General Session.

Congratulations! See you in Palm Springs!

Take a look at the winners — https://t.co/Pww8NUfCtj #WeAreCUE #CUEAffiliates pic.twitter.com/FBM0K8V0aT

— CUE (@cueinc) February 23, 2022

I was excited to finally share with my PLN that I am receiving a CUE Gold Disk this year, but I was frustrated to see the lack of people of color also being honored.

Looking at the slate of past CUE keynotes, speakers, and award winners, the lack of diversity is something I've been addressing in whatever capacity I can, whether it be as a committee member, collaborating with fellow CUE members, or speaking directly to the Board and CUE leadership.

Dismantling old systems, perceptions, and practices isn't easy, and the results are often incremental and unseen when advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The challenges continue to be at the forefront, in this case, the makeup of the 2022 CUE award winners.

This is not to disparage the other winners. As a member of the awards committee, (I abstained from Gold Disk scoring, as I was an applicant this year.) I can say that all the winners are deserving. However, this doesn't mean we can't continue to review our processes as a committee to ensure CUE is not perpetuating systems that do not benefit all members.

In my time as a CUE member, I've seen positive change. It may not always occur as fast as we want, but it is happening. I genuinely believe that now more than ever, the CUE community is in a place where we can make lasting change.

I look forward to CUE 2022 to reconnect with my PLN, and I hope to see you there. Also, if you have ideas about advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the CUE awards process, please pull me aside in the hallway or reach out. This will take collaboration to ensure we're building something that can continue to grow and change with CUE membership.

Adventures in NV and AR Part 1

The Silver State Technology conference was wonderful. Any time you get to meet other individuals interested in things you are is a great event. Even if people don’t agree on how to implement technology, it’s always exciting to discuss ideas and learn with others. Friday night opened words from Dr. Jesse Welsh Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Professional Development for the Clark County School District. One thing he shared that I was so happy to see was a screenshot of an article about the digital divide that persists in Maine despite their statewide laptop program. Dr. Welsh shared this not to discourage technology use, but rather to remind us, that educational technology will only perpetuate traditional teaching styles without proper professional development and teacher support.  This isn’t the article he shared, but this is a story from NPR about the laptop program.

Admittedly, I called it an early night and didn’t get stay for the full friday night event. I was nervous about the keynote. This was the first time I would be keynoting to an audience this large, there were over 150 people registered for the event. About a year ago I presented my keynote to some of the teachers at the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District, but this was a much bigger event. The next day I woke up early to get prepped for the big keynote. I went in to do a soundcheck and make sure all the tech was working because I wanted to make sure nothing would get in my way of sharing my message of TechEsteem. I won’t spoil the keynote, because hopefully you’ll get to see it live one day, but in super short summary I talk about educational technology and how despite challenges, we can harness our TechEsteem to persevere. People who believe in TechEsteme believe we can learn how to use technology for the betterment of education and that our learning can grow and develop over time. True to from, despite the sound check, the sound went out on one of my videos. It could have been a horrible moment, but I just ran off stage and turned up the volume. Kyle also came in with the assist too. It was a #BetterTogether moment for sure. Surprisingly it felt like a planned moment in the keynote, but it wasn’t. Although it was a nice moment to model what TechEsteem can look like.

The event was a great success for Nevada CUE and it was such a pleasure to work with the amazing teachers of Nevada. I’ve always loved visiting the state, I even got married there almost three years ago, and after the amazing conference I have so many new reasons to visit the state. I stayed in the city and enjoyed relaxing on Sunday for making the drive home. When I got home, I unpacked and went to sleep pretty early because I was so tired.The next day I woke up to several texts and messages making sure I was ok. I groggily responded not fully understanding what was going on until after I turned on the NPR Up First Podcast and heard the news.

When it comes to what happened in Las Vegas, well it’s such a complex topic and I know no matter what I type it won’t be enough. I do believe that our country can do more to prevent gun violence and help victims of gun violence. I just hope I’ll get to see that happen. I couldn’t go give blood, (less than a year old tattoo), but what I could do, did and continue to do, is call my government officials to let them know I believe this is a problem worth addressing.

---

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

Instagram

Snapchat

YouTube

& We're Back, to School That Is

This vlog was a unique one in the sense I didn’t provide any additional voice overs for the Snaps. I felt a lot made sense on it’s own but I thought I’d still blog a bit about the content.

The all staff PD day (complete Snapchat Story) was quite an undertaking and so much of the planning and preparation you didn’t see because it was done behind the scenes and by a varied group of departments. With something this large, it was only natural to get other groups involved. Plus our department, while a provider of PD in our district, doesn’t hold a monopoly on PD. It was so great to be able to work with teachers that were interested in the SAMR model and help classified employees learn about how they can use Google in the classroom. My hope from the day is that staff I worked with now have another resource or two to help them in their position.

The snaps you see of staff using the HTC Vive were from an exploratory session to begin looking into how we can use the the virtual reality tool in the classroom. There are also some fun snaps from the office just showing some random happenings. One of the things I’m trying to do more this year is get away from my desk during lunch and whenever possible I bring others with me. I think it’s a great way to de-stress, disconnect from technology and get to know others in the department better. While we all work together, sometimes I feel like I barely know my coworkers and I like to change that. So for me, it starts with food but if you know me offline, that’s probably not a surprise to you.

The last major thing covered in the vlog was my short reflection from my first meeting with Renee Hill. While she worked in the district I always admired and looked up to her. In some ways, I was always a bit intimidated by her, but that was never something of her doing. She has command and presence, she’s the kind of person you pay attention to because you know she knows her stuff. There is no B.S.ing her, and that can be scary but a great challenge. When August began to wind down I knew Renee was who I wanted to call for help. I knew she would tell me like it is, and not sugar coat it. With something as important as an opening keynote, I didn’t want lip service, I wanted to know if the keynote sucked. Luckily she liked the first draft and provided great suggestions to help make it even better. I’m excited to keep working with her and I can’t wait to see what we create together.

Don’t forget you can still sign up for the Silver State Technology Conference and connect with CUE NV on Twitter.

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

Instagram

Snapchat

YouTube

My #ISTE2016 Nugget

I’ve never been to ISTE before. This was my first trip to ‘the room where it happens’ and it didn’t disappoint. I arrived on Saturday morning and within five minutes of stepping into the conference center, I heard people geeking out about tech tools, hashtags, and backpacks. I was right where I needed to be.

Prior to the trip friends were asking why I’d make the trek all the way to Denver and the answer was simple, the people. My goal for ISTE this year was catching up and meeting people. Every time I go to a conference I learn just as much, if not more, from the people in attendance. This conference was no different.

I was fortunate to connect with so many people from the internet that I could not contain my happiness. Not only did I get to reunite with my Google Innovator #MTV16 family, but I got to meet the many of the amazing #COL16 cohort. Then there was the #tosachat, #connectedtl, and #personalizedPD friends. Then it was great to connect with leaders from EdTechTeam, BreakoutEDU, and CUE.

Throughout every conversation, I noticed one theme. We all are struggling; some of us need help with getting leadership on board, gamification, robots, pushing beyond the S of SAMR, or getting our friends connected to a PLN. But what I love about the educational technology community is we don’t give up and we share. No one had the answer, but we all were willing to share where we are in the process.

So, when asked what’s my one nugget from ISTE it isn’t a tool, app, device, or program. It doesn't let perfect get in the way of progress.

Avoiding #CUE16 Confusion

It's that time of year everyone. It's time for the CUE 2016 National Conference. Whether you're new to the edtech world, or this isn't your first rodeo I've got a few tips to hopefully make your conference experience more enjoyable.

• Make sure you bring a reliable computer with a charger. You can bring a tablet but most sessions work best if you have a computer. 
• Make sure you're comfortable with the device. You don't want to try and learn how to use a Chromebook and a learn about Project Based Learning at the same time.
• Check out CUE's blog about Social Media and More.

Image Credit Sylvia Duckworth

• Plan ahead by looking at the conference schedule, and mark sessions you're interested in.
• Don't be afraid to ask “Is this session Chromebook (Mac, PC) friendly?” before the presenter starts. You don't want to get stuck in a session you can't use.
• Speaking of sessions, don't be afraid to get up and leave during a session. Presenters and other attendees won't be offended. Everyone understands you're there to get what you need and no one wants to keep you from that.
• There are multiple venues this year, so keep the location of sessions in mind when you're creating your schedule.

Image credit CUE from the CUE 2016 Program

Image credit CUE from the CUE 2016 Program

• Don't forget connect with people at the conference, have your Twitter handle or other social media accounts ready to share.
• Be aware, you may need to sit on the floor for a session. So if you like kilts, skirts and dresses make sure you plan ahead. Also, no one will judge you for wearing tennis shoes. You will walk a lot, wear the most comfortable shoes you own!
• Feeling overwhelmed? Don't forget to take a break for food, water, and a little relaxation.
• Speaking of food and water, bring some with you! The lines can get a little crazy sometimes.

• Traveling with friends? Divide and conquer sessions and share notes via Google Docs. It's like being everywhere at once.
• Speaking of that, take good notes and always include the speaker's contact information. CUE presenters love to keep in touch.
• Take lots of photos. It's easier to snap photos of presenter slides then to copy it all down.
• Make sure you take the time to reflect on your learning. A great way to do this is via a collaborative Google Slide deck, and if you need some inspiration take a look at a deck +Cynthia Nixon and I made together.

Click here to make a copy of our note taking slides for CUE.

• Take a stroll through the exhibit hall, but don't fall in love with every product. You never know what your IT director will and won't buy.
• When it comes to parking, it can be a bit crazy. There are some free spaces and some paid parking lots. I  used Uber for the first time at the conference and it was a breeze. If you're interested you can use the promo code, aobqt to get $15 off your first Uber ride. Click here to learn more.
• Don't forget your badge while at the conference, but it's ok to stow it when you're enjoying the city of Palm Springs.

I know it's cliche, but seriously have fun. CUE is a great place to learn, connect and grow, so enjoy the ride. Also, if you feel like you're drinking from a firehose, that's ok. Remember, everyone is at the event to ultimately help students and are willing to help you too.

Image credit © 2010 MarketingInProgress.com

Bonus Tip! Go to your local CUE affiliate meeting! Don't know which affiliate you're in, check the map.  The best way to keep the learning going after the conference is to connect with your local affiliate! 

This year, my affiliate IACUE is hosting the Call to Adventure, because we want to help you on your educational technology hero's journey. Plus we'll have food and fabulous prizes! 

Email board@iacue.com for more information.