Incredibly thankful to
@Hamilton_CSD
for supporting innovation, being a leader in technology in instruction, and allowing me to form and be part of an awesome team!
One of the best surprises of my life. Day 5 after our adoptive daughters joined our the family the social workers says "and maybe you can come back and adopt their brother!" 2 years later we did. Happy
#gotchaday
to this young man. So proud of you.
#adoption
#family
For me, the growth in empathy.
Look, this is hard. But I'm comforted by how many people have grown in understanding the entire education process. From teaching kids, to trying to feed them. People are getting it.
Makes me hopeful.
#whatisschool
A solid gratitude shoutout to
@Milford_Schools
teachers. You're doing incredible. My kids (and my wife and I) so appreciate your commitment and adaptability.
A number of favorite points here. But one I so truly believe: Southwest Ohio (Cincy Area) is great place to be an educator and an innovator. Good people, awesome ideas, and kind.
Love this.
@GoogleForEdu
made my job (teacher, coach, admin) a 1000 times more effective. Excited to be part of their partner program.
#innovation
#learn
Abre was originally designed with Google in mind. Now its official! We are pleased to join up with
@GoogleForEdu
partner program to save teachers time and improve student outcomes.
#edtech
A3: Mental Health Apps and resources
I'm all for learning during this Covid-19 challenge.
But helping kids cope with stress, hunger, uncertainty should be the central focus.
And helping parents join the learning experience with their kids.
#hope
#remotelearning
One of the hardest things I've done in life is start a company. One the most satisfying things I've done in my life is start a company. When you see customers wigging out with joy, it's simply awesome. Learning and growing is fun.
@abreplatform
@MCSDSuper
"We're focused on whole-child through the lens of durable skill sets. Knowing the whole child is key." I freaking love the vision and inspirational frameworks coming out of Middletown.
#asugsvsummit
One observation about this work from home / learn from home moment:
The days really blur together.
Ask me what day of the week it is, I'm likely to have even odds of answering any of the 7.
Second oldest brings home district issued Chromebook. Why? Because it has guided learning
@abreplatform
. And she needs the extra distraction free support! :)
@Milford_Schools
Thank you!
I'm more and more convinced that preparing students for a future with AI means focusing on civics, democracy, history, psychology, and philosophy.
#SWTILO
I'm always curious of the dearth of professional portfolios by educators interviewing for jobs. This is so critical. Control the narrative.
#nstconference
@gcouros
Just out,
@AASAHQ
's School Administrator May 2020 issue features our own
@zjvv77
. Read his thoughts on creative solutions emerging in
#edtech
on pg 28.➡️
What if you give students tools to improve their learning? What if you gave them access to experiential learning opportunities & allowed them to build a compelling digital profile? We took those "what ifs" & gave it a shot.
#abremeansopen
#k12
I started teaching in Ohio 13 years ago. This is the gradebook I wanted. Simple. Clean. No confusion. Grades should ALWAYS be easy to understand.
#ifitdontexistmakeit
#innovation
Sneak Peak at our Class App. We demo
@HCESCtech
Lunch Learn this Thursday (May 9). The app features gradebook, assignment submission, notifications and (eventually) integrations! To attend:
Thanks
@bataviaschools
for the invite to talk about shifts in lesson design (given our Covid world)! Big shoutout to all the staff. Thank you for your hard work!
Listening to
@gcouros
is like taking an antidote to an episode of Black Mirror. Way more optimistic (and - I think - pragmatic) view of technology and society!
#nstconference
@gcouros
States: If you write education standards, you need to release them in usable formats. You know, something more than a PDF. It's public education: Support friendly
#OER
.
When all the South American teachers get excited about the company because of the name, I start getting really pumped.
@abreplatform
#FETC
Can't wait to partner with schools in Brasil and Colombia!
Every morning, my buddy Bob the Buck swings by the home office to check on the status of my writings about
@abreplatform
and Career Tech. He's a fun accountability partner.
A2: Best year of learning was in Brazil on the Amazon Rv (11th grade). New culture, new language, and having to translate health classes to village schools in the jungle had a massive impact on my learning and (eventually) teaching.
#edchatCincy
Daughter: "Homework is to take pictures of emotions for photography class."
Me: "Like me torqued about the #$@%! moles that just dug up our yard!"
Daughter: "Perfect. Can I get you on top of the mole holes REALLY ANGRY?"
Me: "Not hard at all."
#homework
#TCEA
attendees - Abre's
@zjvv77
is teaming up w/ North College Hill City Schools' Director of Instructional Technology
@lbubnick1
this Friday
@TCEA
. Presentation sneak peeks below! 👀
Focus >>
Appathons >>
A4: I think we (all of us) just need to be careful not to use tech just for tech's sake. Is that online worksheet any better than a printed one? No, it's not.
#RemoteLearning
Leadership change is exciting and powerful. I am so excited to have James join and help lead the team. His experiences and perspectives are incredible. Good times ahead! 1/2
We've got some BIG news... 😃
We're excited to announce Abre's new CEO,
@jamesmstoffer
!
“James’s industry knowledge and commercial leadership will broaden Abre’s ability to impact student outcomes.”
Welcome aboard, James! 👋
Read more>>
Some projects inspire insane amounts of passion. Here's one: Helping students and their families with mental health. Love, love, love this partnership. And can't wait to make a difference in Ohio!
#k12
#students
#mentalhealth
@abreplatform
3) The first day is always weird (for teachers and student). But if I ever end up back in the classroom, I'll save rules and procedures for day 3.
(No disrespect to my kids' teachers. They are awesome.)
Prior to joining Abre, 50% of our full-time team worked in K-12 schools across the country in general & special education, administration, & technology. We value the insight this experience provides us to better serve the staff, parents, & partners who help students flourish.🙌
Incredibly grateful to be honored as
#CODiE20
winner of Best Administrative Solution & Best Overall Education Technology Solution! 🏆🎉🤩Thank you
@SIIAEducation
, judges, & voting members & a huge thanks to our Abre users!
#AbreMeansOpen
This is a great comment. And an insight into good leadership and good school culture. When you have a work environment that allows failure in light of growth and learning.
#HCESCedchat
A3 I stretch myself most when I don’t worry about failing. Obviously there are times I want lessons to go well, but sometimes just trying and seeing what happens gives me the best stuff in which to reflect. Tweak it and try it again tomorrow.
#HCESCedchat
When you bring exchange students into your family, expect cool and weird convos. Tonight's dinner talk:
What does kattywompus mean? Who is Bob Dylan? What is "Type A" people? Are there type Z?
Ending the night with "Don't think twice, it's alright."
@AFSUSA
#livewoborders
Been reading a lot of Marcus Aurelius lately. Top quote: "“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts; therefore guard accordingly.”"
I've been telling kids to tend to the quality of their thoughts.
We will get through this.
#remotelearning
A7
#RemoteLearning
Q7: We all need to think positively and continue to be engaged with our students and with each other. What encouragement and motivation can you share with all of us? We need it more than ever!
Thank you Finneytown for your support and confidence in us! While your votes pushed us over the top, we welcome your continued input as we build Finneytown’s future. Stay tuned to website as we share updates and information on the district’s plans for the new facilities.
#tgl
A3.
#WordPress
. Such a fun platform! You can do anything with it. It's especially geared towards having kids express moments of reflection. The meta of Covid-19.
We also use
@abreplatform
for communication and learning.
#whatisschool
A2: I test with my own kids :). Seriously. I have an instance of our LMS set private and I've put my kids on it. I get to see what works and doesn't work in real time with them.
#whatisschool
In education, we need a headless SIS (student information system). This would truly allow you to create an awesome experience for your end user.
@abreplatform
A8: I substitute taught gigs after college. Realizing how much freaking FUN it was, I was hooked from the get go.
#edchatCincy
That and teaching healthclass in the jungle.
So I'm a vendor.
But I'm a father, a former teacher, a former administrator. I care about kids and my community. I worked to create a business to help kids and community.
That's the mission of my business.
We're listening. And trying to help.
#remotelearning
A5
#RemoteLearning
Q5: School Districts are being inundated by vendors and offers of help during this crisis. What
#RemoteLearning
solutions do you need for your students? What workable problems are you dealing with right now that need to be remedied?
There's Slack, Twitter, Google Meet, flavors of LMSs, etc.
I still pick up the phone though. Checking in with people via voice.
So key.
#RemoteLearning
#RemoteLearning
Q1: As we enter a “new normal”, how are you (or how will you) stay connected to your colleagues, peers, and departments for sharing collaborative ideas to make this situation better for your students?
We're going to call this New Feature Release Monday. Maybe it will become a thing like Throw Back Thursday, who knows? This week we introduce the ability to customize your 3rd party apps even further by adding your own personal apps. Happy Monday!
#abremeansopen
Nerd parents: Remember when you thought "my kids don't need to be on their Chromebooks at home for 2 hours during the week"?
A reminder to check your filter settings to let your kids do their school work.
The internet did not stop. You forgot the settings you set back in 2016.
Well worth diving into the Boston Globe's project. And fits with the panel discussion we had at
#swtilo
. What kind of society do we want to create for our students?
Of the Boston public high school valedictorians the
@BostonGlobe
tracked down, more became homeless than became doctors (the career 1/4 of them had said they aspired to).
Today, only 40% earn more than $50K a year, and 1 in 4 don't have a college degree.
My son listening to
@Freakonomics
podcast with Andrew Yang. "So, there won't be any jobs for me when I graduate?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Then why am I going to school?"
Me: "Socrates. Know Thyself."
Him: "I'd rather play video games."