Blog - Connected Learning

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Mission of the EventOut at School’s mission is to work toward eliminating the social, emotional, and mental health inequities of LGBTQ+ individuals in schools. Through our collaborative efforts and skill-sharing, we can create schools that are safe, supportive learning environments for all. Our vision is for LGBTQ+ youth and adults to have the conditions to not just survive, but also to thrive on school campuses across our region.

Event DescriptionOur school communities are home to many staff, students, and families who identify under the LGBTQ+ umbrella (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more). Too often, however, LGBTQ+ individuals face barriers in the educational setting that prevent them from comfortably being their full selves. Join Connected Learning, Jess Jones Education and Consulting, and other regional organizations in envisioning school environments that are welcoming of all genders and orientations. During event sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in open conversations necessary for learning and growth. Whether you are a new or experienced ally, you are certain to leave with increased knowledge, skills, and resources for supporting the LGBTQ+ staff, students, and families in your own school community.

9:00 - 9:15 Kickoff

9:15 -9:45 Youth and Allies Panel

9:45 - 10:35 Breakout Sessions 1

10:35 - 11:25 Breakout Session 2

11:25-11:45 Wrap up

Submit your Breakout Session Idea here

Submission Form

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Educators today have shrinking resources, time, and space to grow and learn. This reality has impacted the ability for education to break through the barriers to success. Here in STL and throughout the country there is a group of educators that are extending their efforts to find excellence.

Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Connected Learning, is breaking the mold of professional learning and setting a new standard for excellence. Connected Learning hosts professional learning events attended by over a thousand educators each year. We have a website and blog that receives hundreds of hits a day. We host a podcast that is growing in popularity. Our newsletter subscribers are well over 5000. We invite you to join our important work by becoming a sponsor of our annual fundraising event.

On December 17th, 2020 we will host our 3rd annual “UNgala” highlighting innovation in education through a creative evening of interactive activities, networking, and delicious food and drink. With COVID disrupting so much in our lives we are going to continue to innovate and make this ungala, even more UN (fUN)! Educators, supporters and sponsors from across the region will join us at Third Degree Glass company for our Transform drive through event to help us raise over $20,000 in support of our mission. We would be delighted to have your company join us as a sponsor. Here are just some of the benefits from your investment:

More information about Connected Learning can be found at www.connectedlearningstl.org. If you have any questions, please consult the website through the link above or reach out to me. Your sponsorship commitment makes a difference as we grow our work to support educators who are willing to take risks and think differently about the challenges we face in education today. Thank you for your support as we connect educators and transform schools!

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You can earn graduate credit from Lindenwood University through your participation in Connected Learning Events!

In order to earn credit, you will complete the following steps:

Visit https://applylu.lindenwood.edu/applicationws.asp to complete the Enrollment Form and

pay with your credit card. (Tuition fees are non-refundable)

Fully participate in conference activities
Complete the assignments and return by the deadline

You can access an official grade report through the student portal by visiting www.Lindenwood.edu.

The password will be provided from the university within 3-5 business days after registering. Go to My

Grades on the left column under Administrative Services. Grade Type – select Final Grades. The

document populated is printable. If it is not sufficient for your school district, a transcript will need to be

requested through this link http://www.lindenwood.edu/academics/support-resources/transcript-

request/.

The attached information will provide you with the requirements to earn graduate credit. If you have

questions regarding the process, your username/password, how to request transcripts, or have

additional questions, please feel free to contact me at jedler@lindenwood.edu or by phone at 636-949-

4612.

Resources:* Cover Page * EW 51344 Connected Learning Event Connections 2019 - 2020 - I * EW 51345 Connected Learning Event Connections 2019 - 2020 - II

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Infographic

Downloadable Report (link to Google Doc)

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Thank you to educators for joining us for Connected Learnings first STEAMcamp. Teachers from different school districts across the region had a chance to collaborate and share resources on how to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics into their lessons. Session were created by teacher that focused on novel engineering, riddles, grant writing, aquaponics, STEM gardening, and many more. Professionals were also able to build new learning networks with teachers from other school districts. These professional learning networks will be used during the upcoming school year to help teachers to connect and innovate in their classrooms

Special Thanks to ITEF and MySci for helping us make an amazing day for educators come to life.

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First of all I’d like to say a special “Thanks” to Kelly Hardy (khardy@color-art.com) and the team at Color Art. They do amazing work and would LOVE to work with you!

Now, about our event:In an evening that brought together educators, architects, and designers, Connected Learning partnered with local education furniture dealer, Color Art to continue the conversation about the importance of physical space design in schools. The evening was highlighted by Jolene Levin, designer for Norva Nivel. Norva Nivel, who began as an Australian based company, has been now working in the US for the past few years to design furniture that solve the issues in classrooms around movement, flexibility, and choice. This event, like the previous two that Connected Learning has supported this school year, featured active learning through design activities. Participants designed some amazing spaces with the help of Color Art Designers. They presented some incredible ideas based on this design sprint. The event concluded with two local speakers discussing projects that have enhanced schools locally. Jim Brockmann, assistant principal at CBC High School, talked about the genius of their Innovation Commons including pictures of how the space is being used by the young men at CBC. Dr. Robert Dillon discussed his work at Saint Louis Public Schools to enhance their pre-k classrooms to enhance literacy through creative spaces. Both projects showcased how the design process was essential for building momentum for the projects. Color Art and Connected Learning look forward to future events that help to cross-pollinate ideas around design and support innovation throughout the Saint Louis community.

Photos from the event

Schedule5:30 - Network (15 minutes) - K-12 showroom

5:45 - Speaker 1 - NorvaNivel (20 minutes) - Classroom

6:05 - Design Sprint (30 minutes) - Groups will meet in Various Spaces in Color Art

6:35 - Share Designs (15 minutes) - Classroom

6:50 - Speaker 2 - Jim Brockman (20 minutes) - Classroom

7:10 - Speaker 3 - Dr. Dillon (20 minutes) - Classroom

7:30 - End

Speaker Info

Jolene Levin, NorvaNivel Director

Topic "How Purposeful Space design impacts learner autonomy and engagement"

Bio:

'Jolene is passionate about designing creative and innovative spaces that allows all students' needs to be met for learning success. Since NorvaNivel was founded in Australia in 2010, she has personally partnered with hundreds education leaders to help their schools navigate from traditional teaching and classroom design to create agile learning spaces to support the pedagogy of today and tomorrow. With a view to the direction of education, Jolene creates the vision of learning spaces of the future. She brings with her hundreds of successful case studies and a commitment to improving education in the United States with inclusive learning spaces. She is inspired by her children and transforming the world in which they learn'

Jim Brockman, Assistant Principal and Director of Admission as CBC High School

Topic "Why Innovation? Why Now?"

Bio:

I graduated from the University of Missouri in 2003 with a Bachelor's Degree in the Science of Education. I earned my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Lindenwood University in 2009. I have been at CBC for 16 years. I spent the first 5 as a Social Studies Teacher. The next 7 years were spent growing and improving the Admissions Program as the Director of Admissions. The last 4 have been spent in my current role as Assistant Principal for Enrollment Management. During this time, I have been part of several projects and the creation of programs and processes at CBC, both big and small. The latest project was the redesign of the library into the Dunne Family Innovation Commons, an 8,000 square foot space completely dedicated to innovative thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and connected learning though experiences that cannot be replicated in the "traditional" classroom setting.

Design SprintWe will break up into 5-7 small groups. Each group will move to a different area within Color Art and be grouped with one our designers/application specialists with technology to share and create. In our furniture designing software, each designer will have a prebuilt classroom with preselected 'inventory' of furniture (located outside of the classroom to begin) to be placed and arranged in the room. The groups will be able to use whiteboards to sketch out ideas. Each group will be able to watch their classrooms and ideas come to life 3-dimensionally. At the end of the sprint, each designer will send Ashley and I a 2D & 3D of their classroom. We will then gather back in our classroom and share these with the group and have a little time to discuss. I am super excited about the design sprint and the ability to let our guests design in 3D!

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A small group of passionate educators gathered in August to begin a journey. Each telling their story of innovation, creativity, change and personal growth. These stories, with the help of Dr. Robert Dillon, have come together to truly highlight our amazing region. Without a publishing company, without pre-sales, without financial support from many foundations, we persisted. Our region's educators deserve to be published, we are so excited to tell their stories!

OrderVolume 1 and 2 are available here. Preorder Volume 3 or the complete series here.

Outline of the event:10:30 - 11:00 Welcome and networking

11:00 - 12:00 8, 6-minute presentations with a short break in between, TED-style delivered by the authors of Volume 1.

12:00 - 12:15 Throughline of the stories and setting up of the next storyline found in Volume 2 delivered by Dr. Robert Dillon

12:15 - 12:45 Book signing by authors/educators.

Slide Deck from the Event: Photos From The Event

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Makers. Artists. Designers. Entrepreneurs. All have a space in MADE.We had a great time with educators around our region touring this amazing space, playing on the laser cutter, CNC router, embroidery machine and having fun MAKING together. Learning, light dinner, and drinks were included.

About MADE:MADE is the place where St. Louis Makers, Artists, Designers, and Entrepreneurs create and collaborate. Our co-founders, Jim McKelvey and Doug Auer (the guys who brought you Third Degree Glass Factory), acted quickly when a makerspace chain went bankrupt in St. Louis, leaving over 500 local makers in the lurch. Our friends at Cortex gave Jim and Doug the tools they needed to get started, literally. We snagged all the machinery from the old place and hustled on out of there. After a year spent rehabbing a 100-year old brick bunker of a building on Delmar, we plugged in our gear, polished up the terrazzo floors, and opened our doors in November 2018. There is work in this world only you can make. Your side hustle, your bright idea, your passion project. MADE is where it’s going to happen. From the ground up. With your own two hands.

We Enjoyed:

Demo on the laser cutter
Demo on CNC router
Demo on the embroidery machine
Create with a hands-on activity

We also:* Toured the amazing space * Learned more about MADE and the thriving Maker community * Walked away with something YOU made * Learned about how you and/or your school can become members of MADE

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The 2019 Midwest Global Teaching Dialogue was hosted on Saturday, January 5, 2019 9AM-2PM at the Missouri History Museum. This event aimed to discuss the importance of global competence for 21st century learners and to explore effective practices in global education. The Midwest Global Teaching Dialogue was sponsored by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and featured area leaders in global education.

Event Outcomes:* an understanding of Sustainable Development Goals and how to inspire students to use your content to solve world problems * a practical guide to begin engaging students in global PBL * hearing from students on the skills they have developed in global education learning about Department of State sponsored teacher and student exchange programs * Effective K-12 Global Education Practices * And much, much more

Special thanks to our event partners:United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

IREX

United Nations Association St. Louis

iEARN

Missouri History Museum

Session Descriptions:“Museum Literacy: Bring the World to your Students with Museum Teaching Strategies” The ability to understand museum spaces and artifacts is a learned skill, one that’s vital to the cultivation of lifelong, global learners and to helping students develop a greater empathy for cultures around the world. Museum literacy also helps students connect the skills they learn in the classroom to new subject matters and environments. But many students face barriers when trying to learn in museums. Discover how you can ensure your students are prepared to make the most of a museum visit.

“Sustainable Development Goals: Engaging Students in Solving World Problems” United Nations Association of Saint Louis Board Members Carlos Suarez and Luz Rooney will be holding a workshop about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they play a role in today’s society. From the creation of the post-2015 agenda, and how individuals can contribute toward its progress, this will be an informative session to share information and resources that will inspire our generation to drive progress towards the global goals.

“K-12 Effective Practices in Global Education” Join currently practicing educators as they share their favorite resources in globalizing education. Explore the four avenues of access to globalizing your classroom: content, instructional strategies, assessment and professional learning. Participants will learn how to select and use appropriate technology and media to communicate with diverse audiences and increase cultural understandings to expand opportunities for young people to have meaningful, educational global experiences.

“Learn with the World: Connecting Students in Global Virtual Projects” Want to integrate global interaction into your classroom? Join us for a practical guide to beginning global collaborative virtual projects. Learn how to connect with teachers and students around the world and build cross cultural communication, recognized diverse perspectives and global inquiry skills. Resources, technology tips, and global competency strategies will be shared. Strategies are applicable for K-12 educators in all disciplines.

“Student Panel: Student Exchange Programs and the Importance of Global Education to 21st Learners” Hear from current and former U.S. Department of State sponsored exchange students about the global competencies, aptitudes and perspectives they have developed from their exchange experiences. Students will discuss the application process, how to encourage students to apply and reflect on the value of integrating global competencies into existing best practices.

2019 Midwest Global Teaching Dialogue Schedule8:30AM-9:00AM Registration and Coffee/Pastries

9:00-9:50 AM Introductions and Keynote Speaker

10:00 -10:50 Session 1

11:00-11:40 Lunch Break

11:50-12:40 Session 2

12:50-1:30 Panel Discussion:

1:30-2:00 Closing Remarks/ Invitation to follow up events

Organizer: Katherine Korte Katkorte@connectedlearningstl.org

Photographer Jacki Saxton

Photographer Jack Goetz

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The first annual ChromecampIL (at least in Southern Illinois) was a success! The Alton High School tech department rolled out the red carpet for the educators who showed up from two states and 5 counties. Swag included a BloxelsEDU kit, a Google Mini, a Google Chromecast, and a Chromebook courtesy of Trinity3 Technology. With the help of Mike Wielgus and Adam Geisen from Triad District #2, we were able to make this unconference event one for the books. Be sure to join us on Saturday, March 7, 2020 for ChromecampIL

Special thanks to Matt Derrick, tech director and his team and Elaine Kane, Curriculum Coordinator for making the event special.

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Wrap UpWe were so excited to partner with our local Apple representative to bring to life a new event. For years we’ve been putting together the Missouri Summit features Google in Education and it was time for us to honor all of our districts that support Apple Products. We had a call for presenters (which then registered for free) and we built a session board of a myriad of topics around the Apple Ecosystem. We secured our keynote speaker, Rebecca Hare, on Practical Creativity and partnered with Ladue School District to help make the event a premier learning experience for our region. The day was a huge success. See details below and join us next year!

Event Schedule8:30am - 9:00 Registration

9:00 - 9:10 Welcome

9:10 - 10:10 Keynote

10:10 - 10:30 Break

10:30 - 11:20 Session 1

11:20 - 12:20 Lunch on us :-)

12:20 - 1:10 Session 2

1:20 - 2:10 Session 3

2:20 - 3:00 Wrap

Summit Session Board

Session board hosted in Numbers

Keynote - Rebecca Hare

Practical Creativity

Unlocking the 5 key aspects of creativity in yourself and your students.

Session DescriptionsJana Gerard Learning Specialist for Educational Technology - Lindenwood University
They gave me these iPads. Now What?
Do you have access to iPads but you aren’t sure what what to do with them? This session will cover the basics of Apple Classroom and using Google and Office apps. We will also look at apps for math, literacy, presentations, and student engagement. At the end of this session you should know the basics of what you can do with those iPads!

Greg Lawrence Director of Technology - Wentzville Schools
Creating In Hand: More Powerful Than You Think
It’s time for our students to create and what’s amazing is the mobile devices they carry around in their pockets (I know you have noticed the white earbuds) can compose music, produce a movie, design a poster, and so much more!!! Come experience and rethink the power of iPad/iPhone and how it can transform learning in our learning spaces. Your students are more powerful than you think!

Don Goble Media Teacher and Speaker - Ladue School District
Six-Word Story, Six Unique Shots: Enhancing Writing Through Multimedia
Explore an activity that brings the writing process to life with digital storytelling. A simple six-word story, created as a video with six unique camera shots, allows students the ability to tell a powerful visual story. This presentation will guide educators through a unique project that addresses the fundamentals of media literacy, filmmaking, and the digital storytelling process.

Robert Dillon Director of Technology - University City School District
Sync Your Digital Space to Support Excellent Instruction
Learning space continue to be digital for more students. It is essential that teachers and leaders think like designers to sync their instructional goals with the digital space that guides the learning. This session with look at core principles that can support this achievement creation for students.

Colleen Skiles Teacher - Troy R-3 School District
HyperKeynote? HyperPages? Hyper What? HyperPages? HyperKeynote?
It does not matter the platform it starts from, what matters is the learning that takes place. The concept behind “hyper” is the increase in critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, connection and real-life engagement. Make any lesson “hyper” with AppleEdu, include multiple platform and application integration, personalize learning, and increase reflection from the learner and the educator. Let's get Hyped!

Sadie Lewis Instructional Innovation Specialist - Mehlville School District
Clips in the Classroom
Video creation doesn't have to be a long process using advanced software. Clips is an iOS app for making and sharing fun videos with text, effects, graphics, and more. Using Clips, students can plan their video and start creating right away - allowing them to focus on content and creation. In this session, attendees will experience video creation in Clips, learn the easy to use tools, and walk away with lesson ideas that can be used in the classroom.

Rob Lamb Teacher - Pattonville School District
Infographic Use and Creation in the Classroom.
In this session we will discuss ways to incorporate infographics into the classroom and also how to successfully create them with Pages and Keynote. This will also include several lesson ideas to help students better understand how to navigate through an infographic and techniques to follow the breadcrumbs back to the source of the information presented to determine its validity. Takeaways will be provided.

Michael McCann Instructional Technology Coach - Wentzville Schools
iPads for Littles
Guide your littlest learners through a creative journey on the iPad. Help students use different types of media to become content creators. In this session, we will utilize different apps that range from easy to use to more complex. Participants will gain insight on how to scaffold a lesson on the iPad as well as differentiate for different learners. Participants will need an iPad with the following: access to the camera and microphone, Clips app, Garageband app, and iMovie app.

Lonni Long ESL Teacher - Troy R-3 School District
Language and Literacy development for Newcomer EL Learners
It is so easy and engaging for students new to the country to use the Ipad to promote English Literacy and Language development. With guidance, students can create books to support their learning of sight words, vocabulary words, and sentence structure.

Stephanie McCreary District Technology Specialist - Pattonville School District
Personalized Publishing: Voice & Choice
See 15+ examples of how students can publish their writing/learning, from podcasts to e-books to videos. Publishing refers to any type of writing OR communication of ideas & information. 90% of the session is hands-on. Choose 1 app you want to explore in this hands-on session. Bring your iPad & headphones. Make sure you are updated to iOS12 and you have the latest version of Keynote and Pages.

Jennifer Orton Innovative Learning Specialist - Knox County R-1 Schools
Stop Searching and Start Creating!
The App Store has thousands of apps to choose from and searching can be time consuming and overwhelming! Stop searching and focus on the Apple apps that come with your iPad! This session will focus on the iPad how you can use Apps such as Keynote, Pages, Numbers, Clips and iMovie to create, learn, and collaborate in your classroom today!

Kristie Lehde Technology Specialist - Ladue School District
Reminders- the unsung hero of organizational tools for teachers and administrators.
Attendees will experience the vast number of options that the Reminders app offers in keeping todo lists organized and easy to maintain. From general todo lists, to being reminded of a list when I walk into a specific place, to alarms reminding of tasks that need completion, and communicating and collaboration todo lists with teammates, will make any educators life more efficient and effective.

Tammy Hasheider District Technology Specialist - Pattonville School District
Everyone Can Create - Posters, Infographics, Movies, Oh my!
When students create, they learn and remember. Using ideas from this session both teachers and students can become creative communicators and innovative designers. This is a hands-on session where you will learn new ways to create professional looking posters, flyers, infographics, and even movies with Keynote, Pages, Quicktime, Photobooth, and iMovie.

Christine Ruder Teacher - Rolla Public Schools & Debbie Fucoloro Teacher - Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Make Learning a Snap: Using Student Images for Deeper Understanding
Heard of #BookSnaps? Let’s try #LearningSnaps! First, use Keynote to have students create personal learning-mojis. Then, use the learning-mojis with iPad apps such as, Book Creator, SeeSaw, PicCollage, Google Slides, or Padlet, etc. to have your students illustrate their thinking about concepts they are learning in class. Using #LearningSnaps allows students to reflect and share their understanding in an engaging, personalized manner.

Images from the event

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From the moment the doors opened at 7:00, the energy was high among the planning team, volunteers, and attendees for a great day of learning at EdCamp St. Louis. That energy only continued to grow throughout the day as educators engaged in conversations and sharing around a wide range of topics in education.

The morning began with a kickoff session with all 350 attendees in the auditorium - complete with a tshirt cannon! Starting as a whole group helps to get everyone on the same page - especially those who are new to edcamp.

Following kickoff, attendees jumped right into developing the days session schedule. In less than 30 minutes, all 20 session posters were full of ideas ranging from student voice to flexible seating, social emotional learning to new tech tools. The day was full of amazing conversations and great sharing as attendees attended four rounds of sessions and collaborated on shared notes documents.

Reflecting on EdCamp St. Louis, I think a huge factor in the success of the day is the volunteers. From the months of planning by a team of volunteers, to the minute-by-minute schedule of the day, to the student volunteers - EdCampSTL wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of the volunteers and the attendees who show up, excited to learn and grow!

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OrderVolume 1 will be on sale now preorder 2, 3 or the complete series here.

Outline of the event:5:30 - 6:00 Welcome and networking

6:00 - 7:00 8, 6-minute presentations with a short break in between, TED-style delivered by the authors of Volume 1.

7:00 - 7:15 Throughline of the stories and setting up of the next storyline found in Volume 2 delivered by Dr. Robert Dillon

7:15 - 7:45 Book signing by authors/educators.

Slide Deck from the Event:

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We were SO LUCKY to get the opportunity to partner with the Black and Brown Teaching Trust to kick off Black History Month by raising a glass to Black and Brown educators!

The purpose of the event was to connect educators of color with each other for a chance to celebrate our roles in public and private education. These educators of all levels had a chance to share their experiences from their career field, build strong professional learning networks and kickback to enjoy some good company. We know It is important for students to be able to see teachers from all different backgrounds and experiences. It is equally important for educators to receive the same perspective. Cheers to our Black and Brown Educators!

Special Thanks to @darionrobinson for letting us collaborate on your vision!

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Our organization has been around for three years. We’ve been doing okay, but we recognize the need to do some serious fundraising if we would like to see this mission continue.

Our Goals:* Raise $20,000 * Have the event attended by 100+ people * Recognize the impact our organization is having on our region * Provide an experience that mimics our core values

The event was held at Third Degree Glass Factory on 10/4 starting at 6pm. Below are some of the Pre-unGala images:

Run Of Show:6:15 - Welcome and information on navigating the unGala, Dr. Christopher McGee, Founder & CEO and Julie Lawson, Executive Director

6:45 - Glass Blowing Demo, 3rd Degree Glass Company

7:15 - Welcome from the Board of Directors, Brenda Watt

Keynote Speech, Carey Davis, Head Football Coach, Hazelwood Central High School; former starting fullback, Pittsburgh Steelers

Closing Comments, Dr. Amy Peach

8:30 - Silent Auction closes

Maker StationsThroughout the evening there were 8 stations for attendees to participate in. These stations encouraged attendees to connect with one another and learn a new concept or skill. The stations below were shared:

Art Bot
Virtual Reality
Artificial Intelligence
Foil boat challenge
Graffiti wall
Makey Makey
LED Creations
Meet Others Scavenger Hunt

Results* 130 attendees * $15,654.93 raised * Shared the impact our organization is having on our region from last year’s data:

+ 17 Professional Learning events
+ 43 Hours of Professional Learning
+ 1591 educators attended our events last year
+ 68,413 total hours of professional learning awarded last year
+ Total savings of $1,562,552.92 to our region’s schools and districts.

Provide an experience that mimics our core values
- Innovative set up unlike others have experienced
- Connecting and learning were positioned at the core of the event

Thank You!Board of DirectorsBrenda Watt, President

Phyllis Ellison

Dr. Amy Peach

Dr. Basiyr Rodney

Paul Krussel

Brian Wellinghoff

Dr. Donna Jahnke

Founder and CEODr. Chris McGee

Executive DirectorJulie Lawson

Leadership TeamBill Bass

Chuck Baker

Glenn Barnes

Derek Bridges

Chris Campbell

Patrick Dempsey

Robert Dillon

Michael Dragoni

Samuel Fishburn

Mauel S. Herrera

Greg Lawrence

Rob Lamb

Sadie Lewis

Chantell Mason

Lance McClard

Dr. Katrice Noble

Dr. Kacy Seals

Julie Szaj

Matt Weld

Aubresha Young

Emanuel Young

SponsorsInnovative Technology Education Fund

Missouri State Teachers Association

Stifel Nicolaus

Edge Hill

Interstate Studio

Color Art

Steelcase

Global Hack

Sentient Strategy

Webster University

Silent Auction SponsorsBar Method

Bloxels

Blue Iguana

Cannoli’s Restaurant Crest Bowl

Cooper Hawk

Cugino’s Restaurant

Dollhouse

Fitz

FLOAT

Jilly’s

Just Dance

Magic House

Makey Makey

Missouri Botanical Garden

Morgan Ford

Painting with a Twist

Pappy’s/Bogart’s

Pasta House

PBS

Prana Yoga

Raising Cane’s

Event Program

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In the last several years, the type of students served in special education classrooms has shifted from students simply needing academic remediation to a larger population of students with emotional disturbances, significant difficulties with executive functioning and regulation, intellectual disabilities, and medical needs. The need for trauma-informed teaching and modification of curriculum is increasing. With Special School District employees spread out all over St. Louis County the opportunities to connect with colleagues are few and far between. The job of a special education service provider presents many unique challenges that make professional collaboration imperative to not only student success but also to staff growth and well-being.

On Saturday, September 8th, Connected Learning, and Jennifer Ferguson hosted the first SPEDcampSTL at Long Elementary from 8:30-12:00. Eighty educators from across St. Louis County, some from Jefferson County, and as far south as Cape Girardeau gathered together to discuss topics such as racial bias and equity in special education, the impact giftedness has on emotional regulation, behavior intervention and modification, parent involvement, language therapy data collection ideas and strategies, music therapy, and staff well-being. Participants connected not only during the three breakout sessions but also virtually through Flipgrid videos in which they reflected on what they hoped to gain from the morning. The event concluded with giveaways from Adam Welcome and Kids Deserve It, Burgess Publishing Company, Boardmaker, and Flipgrid. SPEDcampSTL was a testament to the growing need for professional collaboration in the special education community.

Jenifer Ferguson

Check out the session board and collaborative notes: http://www.bit.ly/SPEDCamp18

Enjoy some of the media from the day's learning here:

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Connected Learning is Partnering with Lindenwood University to offer 1 or 2 College Credit for attending Connected Learning's professional learning events across our region.

Dear Connected Learner,

You can earn one hour of graduate credit from Lindenwood University through your participation in this learning event. In order to earn credit, you will complete the following steps:

Visit https://applylu.lindenwood.edu/applicationws.asp, complete the Enrollment Form and pay with your credit card. (Tuition fees are non-refundable)
Fully participate in learning activities
Complete the assignments and return by the deadline. See attached for additional information

As a Connected Learner, you have access to a student portal and can print out a copy of your unofficial transcript and/or single grade report by logging in, choosing the term FA WS 18 and going to the ‘My Transcripts’ or ‘My Grades’ section. Please follow the link below to login to your portal for the first time. http://www.lindenwood.edu/technology/portal/student.html Or, if you wish to request an official transcript, a transcript will need to be requested through this link http://www.lindenwood.edu/academics/transcript.html.

The attached information will provide you with the requirements to earn one hour of graduate credit. If you have specific information regarding Cooperative Credit, please feel free to contact me at jedler@lindenwood.edu or by phone at 636-949-4612.

See More Details Here

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2/24

Learning and Leading the culture of IKEA

Educators around the globe are looking into other sectors to better understand how to create something special in our schools and classrooms. Come learn how IKEA makes your experience special and how you can bring that back to your school/classroom.

COST: $5

2/26 - 27

Lee's Summit R-7 Schools would like to invite teachers and administrators to CONNECTMidwest. Participants will experience two full days of interactive, highly relevant professional learning opportunities

2/28 - 3/1
Embracing Diversity and Inclusion conference at Webster University a "Free-mium" conference with BOLD speakers, great insight and inspiring ideas.

3/1

Improv Skills for Educators

Come learn new Improv games, strategies and activities to build community with your colleagues and students! Improv is so much more than comedy. It's learning about discomfort, agreeing and running with an idea, it's truly listening to another person, it's empathy and putting yourself in another person's shoes. You know what else? It's FUN! It'll make you laugh, it'll change how you interact with students.

COST: $10

A multitude of learning around VR and AR and its impact on society to come. Register for this FREE event and check out all the learning

3/6

The New Normal: Reframing Diversity in Tech and Entrepreneurship

You can't innovate without diversity. Period. Yet most proposed solutions to increasing diversity in tech and entrepreneurship falls short. SO what's the solution? Kathryn Finney will address the very real, technological and historic barriers to increasing diversity in an ever-growing sector of tech and entrepreneurship and how companies from start-ups to non-profits can directly address those barriers in creating a "New Normal"

Cost: $15 - 55

3/10

Learning Space Design Scavenger Hunt

Great design is often elusive, especially to those (like me) who struggle with good design. Learn, discover, grow, and shift your mindset in order to expand your possibilities. Together let's uncover the experiences we want our students to have. When we better understand the experiences we want our students to have we can then design your amazing space. Learn how to bring your instruction to life and find amazing resources to revitalize your space.

COST: 5$

3/17

Seeds of Joy

You're met Jill Stratton right here at South. If you enjoyed her, learn even more about bringing JOY into your life. Bringing together evidenced-based research and a lively blend of music, personal stories, and reflection, this workshop is more of a mini-retreat for heart and soul. Come if you're curious, skeptical, hungry, or hopeful and leave with "seeds of joy" and strategies for increasing and sustaining happiness this spring and beyond.

COST: $45

3/31

Chromecamp

Chromecamp is an “unconference,” a free, non-commercial gathering of passionate educators who share an interest in a particular topic – in this case, the Chrome (the browser and OS) and the entire Google Ecosystem. Attendees volunteer to run sessions – conversations, not presentations – on specific topics related to this theme (or not – sessions can also be about social media or other educational concepts, but the emphasis is on Chrome and Google.)

COST: FREE

4/14
The Missouri Botanical Garden has an awesome event focused on sustainability just for your school and your students. Check it out!

ResourcesSimple steps to starting PBL in your class.

A List of Excellent Student Design Projects for Middle School Creativity

28 question stems to foster critical thinking (TOTALLY TIES TO TEI STANDARD 4)

Need a summer job? Check out the Global Hack position attached.

6 non-education books educators read

Local resource to find out resources across our region. Lit Around the Lou

Great Add-ons for Google Slides

VIDEO: Individualizing assignments in google classroom (great way to differentiate assignments for students.)

6 steps to make your next book study the best one yet

Grants to fund learning in and out of your classroom.

6 Excellent Google Mapping Tools to Develop Students Geo-Literacy

5 Downloadable Vocabulary Activities that Make Words Stick

ArticlesGreat things happen when you're bored: 5 fascinating things I learned by making myself bored

PLEASE TAKE YOUR HOOD OFF and other microaggressions all teachers commit

Who couldn't use better (or more) sleep? Learn how to fall asleep quicker

The Japanese use of the word "Space" might change how you view the world.

So as future jobs continue to shift, what does it mean for those that struggle academically that working in a grocery store may be a thing of the past? Amazon Go

Teachers as Learners: Moving from Unintentional to Engaged to Empowered - Reminded me, we are either constantly refining our practice around the needs of our students and the world THEY are entering or we are saying their needs are irrelevant.

Twitter is Like Going to the Grocery Store - “Not every idea you encounter on Twitter will go in your shopping cart.” Check out the “10 signs you might be ready to learn using Twitter.”

“If the learning in the classroom is all about what the teacher does, and less about what the students create, then what is the long-term impact that this will have on our students?” How can students take content knowledge learned and create something new with it? Read More.

Sad news about what kids are doing on their 1:1 chromebooks across the world. YIKES!

11th graders poem rocks the world, what could our kids write that shapes their world?

50 blog ideas for educators. Do you blog? Do your students? Why not?

When working alongside our colleagues, if we remember the principles of adult behavior we may have better friends, better colleagues and deeper engagement.

The importance of Deep Fun. Having fun at work is far more than just ping-pong tables, although those are cool too.

The Key Trait that Einstein, Jobs and Divinci had in common. HINT: It's not content knowledge.

Why your PLC meetings need a rubber chicken

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For Immediate Release:

Connected Learning Hires New Development/Program Director

ST. LOUIS, MO, October 4, 2017 -- Connected Learning is excited to announce the hiring of new part-time Development/Program Director Julie Lawson. Mrs. Lawson will serve as a community-facing ambassador for Connected Learning as well as a leader within the organization, lending expertise and insight to company-wide initiatives. Her role includes establishing a plan for continued growth, evaluating and analyzing all development efforts and developing appropriate strategies to address challenges, capitalize and expand successes and improve results.

Mrs. Lawson’s career has largely been in the nonprofit sector with some focus on educational initiatives. She recently launched Sentient Strategy, providing consulting to St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver area nonprofits in the areas of leadership development, strategic planning, marketing and related capacity building. She previously worked for FOCUS St. Louis, serving as the Executive Director for the Supreme Court of Missouri Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness (2015-2017), Vice President (2015-2017), and Adjunct Trainer for the Coro Women in Leadership Program (2006-2015). In addition, Mrs. Lawson served as President for the Board at Active Minds Institute, a charter school curriculum development organization.

In Mrs. Lawson’s 20 year career, she has raised more than 20 million dollars in new funds for small nonprofits, served as Executive Director of four nonprofits, and facilitated more than 100 learning workshops/events, primarily in leadership development. CEO, Dr. Christopher McGee shares, “As Connected Learning continues to grow serving thousands of educators across our region, Mrs. Lawson will break new barriers for our organization and for area educators. We will not only continue the excellence of learning and innovation we’ve started here but grow into new strategic ways to best serve our region.”

“Connected Learning is excited to move to a new phase of supporting teachers and schools,” says Dr. Robert Dillon, Director of Innovative Learning at School District of University City and Connected Learning Leadership Team member. “Mrs. Lawson’s focus on enhancing the conversation about modern learning coupled with the incredible leadership team and volunteers of the organization has Connected Learning primed to make a greater impact on change in St. Louis and beyond.”

Mrs. Lawson will begin her new role with Connected Learning on November 1.

About Connected Learning

Connected Learning is a non-profit organization that supports those who desire to learn more, are willing to take risks, and think differently about the problems we face in education today. Connected Learning does this by hosting, sponsoring, and supporting events.

Connected Learning is able to maximize its mission of supporting a deeper level of connected learning through these tasks:

As hosts, Connected Learning plans, develops, and carries out events. This includes our flagship event, edcampSTL, as well as a number of events throughout the year that promote innovation and next practice.
As sponsors, Connected Learning is able to bolster other incredible learning opportunities through donations of our time, talent, and treasures.
As event supporters, we work with individuals planning events to provide logistical advice, ideas, and opportunities to market the event to our incredible network of learners and supporters.

To learn more, go to http://www.connectedlearningstl.org/

Contact:

Dr. Chris R. McGee

Chief Connecting Officer: Connected Learning

chris@connectedlearningstl.org

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Events

1/20

Educator Design Sprint - Café & Children’s Area Barnes and Noble Ladue

Don’t miss this free opportunity to practice your space design skills! We’ve partnered with area design expert and Director of Innovative Learning at Unviersity City SD, Dr. Robert Dillon, as well as designers from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design. Studies have shown that incorporating layout and space design into your education plan enhances student learning. We’ll practice these vital concepts here at our store so you can return to YOUR space with all the needed skills. Join the collaborative design fun! Complimentary coffee & light refreshments will be served.

Sat. Jan 20th 10:30 am to noon - R.S.V.P. or just show up! I'll be there!

Now - March 2nd

It’s time to put your students' imaginations to work, because the Doodle 4 Google contest is now open. This year’s contest is open to K-12 students until March 2 with the theme “What inspires you?" We’ll feature the winning doodle on the Google homepage! Prizes include college scholarships, a behind the scenes experience with the Google Doodle team, and a $50,000 Google for Education technology package for the winner’s school. Submit your doodles!

2/7

Blue Skies discussion group

Looking for thoughtful conversation? Interested in environmental issues and energy? Join our Blue Skies discussion group. Open to K-12 educators, particularly middle and high school science teachers. Learn more

2/10

Darwin Day

Celebrate Charles Darwin's birthday with a free evolution event for K-12 educators. Keynote speaker is Eugenie Scott - an internationally recognized expert on creationism/evolution controversy. Register now

2/9

EdcampSTL Tweet Up

Just before EdcampSTL get together and meet other conference goers and enjoy some light appetizers on us! It's a great time to meet new educators.

2/10

EdcampSTL

The world's largest UNconference. 500+ educators gathered ready to share the awesomeness going on in their schools. Breakfast and Lunch Provided

FREE

2/24

Learning and Leading the culture of IKEA

COST: $5

2/26 - 27

2/28 - 3/1
Embracing Diversity and Inclusion conference at Webster University a "Free-mium" conference with BOLD speakers, great insight and inspiring ideas.

3/1

Improv Skills for Educators

COST: $10

A multitude of learning around VR and AR and it's impact on society to come. Register for this FREE event and check out all the learning

4/14
The Missouri Botanical Garden has an awesome event focused on sustainability just for your school and your students. Check it out!

Resources

Check out the New Certification Platform

Our certification platform now includes an updated user interface and several new features for our Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 exams. Even if you’ve already taken the exams, you can revisit the exam platform to view your certification history, refer a friend, or download a letter from our team to your principal. Log in here.

Discover your Favorite new Educational YouTube Channel

Looking for a new educational channel for your students in 2018? This YouTube playlist from We Create Edu has videos from dozens of up-and-coming educators. The playlist includes videos on a variety of subjects including biology, pop culture, and history, so there’s something for every type of educator.

YOUTUBE Channel: Applied Digital Skills Youtube Channel . A google for education channel for learning and applying great skills in our schools.

PODCAST: Experiments in Happiness and creativity . A BOLD podcast with the amazing Gretchen Rubin on how to expand your Happiness and Creativity in 2018. A great focus on TEI 5.3

Articles

Google's 17 favorite moments of 2017

ARTICLE: A great article about the modern classroom authored by our very own Bob Dillon.

ARTICLE: What the research says about classroom layout and design.

ARTICLE: We are all math people

POLICY: Are Snow Days a thing of the past? Looks like something cool is happening in Illinois!

TWO ARTICLES: Two recent articles show what the firms have learned about why some employees quit and others stay — and about why some teams flourish and others flounder.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Many of us like to start our year with resolutions. What if we made it simpler than that? What if we chose just one word to guide us through the year? There are some terrific HyperDocs and other Google-related resources that you can use to motivate yourself and your students to stop, reflect, and move forward with intention. They can be used in January at the beginning of a new year - or anytime, really! More here

Have you chosen a word for 2018?
Have you tried doing a one word or vision boarding activity to start the new year with your students?
Do you have any other great activities that you like to use to start a new month, year, term, semester, or season in your classroom?

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Glenn and Chris share the story of Connected Learning!

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I have been at a "new" job for the past year and have loved the experience thus far. Sharing this experience with now former colleagues has been strange. Strange in the sense that I do not get to see them every day of the school year. Celebrating this change with mentors has been really fun as well. However, there is one mentor who is not present to celebrate my success. His name is Loran Koprowski.

Loran Koprowski and I first encountered one another in 1991 when I was a high school student attending Central Visual & Performing Arts High School. “Mr. K” as we affectionately referred to him was hard to miss. He stood about 6’2″ and had black hair. Always dressed impeccably, he had a kind word for the students he encountered. Mr. K was the assistant principal. Most of us never saw the other APs, unless there was trouble. Mr. K was always front and center. He would learn names, figure out our likes/dislikes, and always made sure to ask how our classes were going. As I was going through this awkward stage of adolescence, Mr. K was always a person I consulted with as I went through the troubles of my home life. He was the person who I could tell anything and everything. Privacy and fidelity were always respected.

When I graduated, he made sure to send me a card and a $20 bill. We remained in contact while I was in school and was very supportive of me becoming a teacher. When I returned to St. Louis and started working at Sumner High School, I found out that Mr. K had a heart attack and was going through the process of recovery. During his recovery and return to administration, he was relocated over to Sumner High. We found ourselves together again, but this time in a role that was different than what we had known. We were colleagues. This didn’t matter. Mr. K was the same positive influence on me. We would talk about life and career goals. We also told jokes and discussed how we could make things better. He was my sounding board and my greatest cheerleader. After 2 years at Sumner, he was transferred over to Clyde C. Miller Career Academy. A few years later, a position opened up for social studies there and he helped facilitate the move for me over there.

Mr. K and I worked together for another three years until he retired in 2010. He and his wife moved to Florida to live out their golden years. We called and emailed from time to time, but our paths would cross once more. In November of 2011, my wife and I adopted out first child, Noah. Noah was born in Tampa. Loran lived about 1 and 1/2 hours south of there. Knowing that we were in the state and awaiting clearance to go home, he invited us down to his house for the day. Julie and I had been stuck in a hotel or a hospital for over a week. We didn’t have family with us to share in the experience, but we had an old friend ready to help us out. We drove down to visit the Koprowski’s and our relationship evolved yet again. From that day forward, we referred to Loran and Debbie Koprowski as Noah’s “Florida Grandparents.” We had lunch, we talked about the “old” days and more important…we talked about life. I was grateful for his generosity that day and even more thankful for his love.

Loran Koprowski, Noah and Glenn Barnes at "Casa Koprowski" North Port, FL (June, 2013)

Our family returned to Florida one more time in 2013 for a vacation. We visited with him once again and had another lunch. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see Loran Koprowski. Loran died in August of 2015 of a heart attack while he was out boating with his wife. When I talked to Debbie, I was absolutely devastated. Loran was a father figure to me and a man I truly respected. He listened to me in adolescence and as a colleague. He allowed me to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. He allowed me take risks as a teacher and challenge the status quo. He encouraged me to continue improving my craft when so many others did not. He made me relaxed with a great sense of humor. Most of all, he taught me that family is everything. Loran was a family man and incredibly loyal to them. I have come to know his wife very well. I have watched his daughter and sons grow up over the course of almost 25 years that I knew him.

Every teacher needs a mentor like that. We need people in our life who can make a connection with us and meet us where we are. Loran Koprowski has a very special place in my heart and it is taking everything in me to get through this post without losing my emotions (I am tearing up thinking about him now). Believe me, there are so many stories I could tell (some still have me cracking up years later). I feel blessed to have made many connections with students, teachers and administrators during my time in SLPS. I hope to be half the person Loran Koprowski was, because in many ways he saved me from myself. He showed me how to do the right things as a leader, as a man, and as a friend. That level of mentoring is vitally important.

Be that mentor. Be that life changing agent for someone. Get to know your people on an intimate level and be sincere. I hope that our paths may cross some day and you can see a little piece of Loran Koprowski when we meet. Thank you, Mr. K!

By: Glenn Barnes

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Experience rich environments create the velcro that we need to attach learning.

This is so clear as some students return from a summer full of amazing experiences ready to learn while others return starved of meaningful experiences. They are wilted, and in need of care, support and rebuilding. This second group comes to us with a virtual teflon brain, and it makes it really hard to attach new learning and concepts. We have known for a long time that those with means bolt past those without in the area of life experiences creating an experience gap that is nearly impossible to overcome. This is most evident returning from the summer months. To push back against the velcro versus teflon reality, it is essential to fill our schools with learning experiences that are rich and meaningful. It is essential to surround our students with beauty, caring adults from the community, and opportunities to explore. Let's make this a sticky year for all kids.

By Robert Dillon

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Come Join the most EPIC team in the midwest!Application Deadline 8/28/17Who is Connected Learning?Check us out!Functions of the job1. Serves as community-facing ambassador for Connected Learning.

Serves as leader within the organization, lending expertise and insight to company-wide initiatives. Leverages all essential skills and abilities to achieve goals.
Establishes a plan for continued growth including financial, human, and physical resources alongside the CEO and Board .
Develop organization wide processes, procedures, and systems for long-term success.
Assists CEO, Leadership team and Board in development and implementation of an annual and multi-year fundraising plan and strategy.
Sets and meets goals for partnership portfolio including fundraising and professional learning action goals.
On a regular basis, builds and calibrates partnership portfolio in collaboration with peers, leadership team members, Board and CEO to ensure goals are met.
Evaluates and analyzes all development efforts and develops appropriate strategies to address challenges, capitalize and expand successes and improve results.
Cultivates and nurtures relationships within the partnership portfolio.
Achieves targets and goals within budget, and manages budget accordingly.

Attributes of the Ideal candidate

Connected Learning seeks an innovative thinker. A bold leader. A developer of individuals and of a growing company. Leadership experience in a non-profit, program, school, or association is essential. The emotional intelligence and political skills to manage on a personal and human scale the conundrums that emerge for organizations with a large passion and growing ‘membership.’ A desire to write and speak about what innovative learning looks like and how it is experienced by children and adults. A willingness to travel and present at conferences around the country. The skill to author and secure grants to grow the organization’s capital and ability to influence the region. The proclivity to bridge the inherent tensions in the movement between authentic practice and innovation; competition vs. cooperation with other organizations; expansion into the private, urban and rural domains vs. dilution of core practices, etc. Financial acumen and fundraising experience. Management skills to supervise a small shop with large demands placed on it and to manage up to a board seeking vision and direction.

Scope and Compensation

Part time. No more than 10hrs per week, annual compensation $10K - 20K based on experience and outcomes. Salary incentives can also be increased based on development milestones.

Additional InformationConnected Learning does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

Connected Learning is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

How to Apply

Email: chris@clstl.org Subject Line: CL Executive Director Search Committee

Application to include:

Cover letter addressed to the CL Executive Director Search Committee expressing interest in and qualifications for the position.
A current resume.
A statement of your leadership philosophy (1 – 2 pages).
Two examples of writing showcasing leadership or potential to the organization.
Three references (including email addresses, and telephone numbers) who can be contacted confidentially at the early stage of discovery. These references will not be used unless you are notified.

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Our first ever KickstartED was a huge success!The event was the first of its kind for our region and we think it's just what we need to bring innovation to life! Participants paid $10 to attend the event. Schools that wanted to pitch an innovation project paid $20. The event started off with 7 schools giving a 1 minute pitch to the room:

Special thanks to ITEF for donating an additional $1000 for the winning project.

After schools were done pitching the room. Everyone was challenged to meet the presenters, ask questions and determine who gets their vote. Whoever has the most votes gets to take home all of the money!

See all the Innovation ideas and download their project idea here.

At the end of the event everyone took their ballot and voted for their favorite project. We tallied the votes and at the end of the night there could only be one winner.

Winning $1460 for their project was Rockwood South Middle School's Tiny House Project!

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Connected Learning partners with schools, organizations and experienced educators to support next practices in education.

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Welcome!Welcome new subscribers to the Connected Learning newsletter. Our mission is to support those who desire to learn more, are willing to take risks, and think differently about the problems we face in education today. Through this newsletter you will hear about our upcoming events, news in education, and be provided with resources that will help you and your schools continue to think differently about learning. Learn more about our team by clicking here.

NEWSChromecamp 2016This past Saturday, Connected Learning hosted ChromeCamp 2016 at Fox High School. Then wonderful event brought together 130 local educators and administrators for an un-conferences focused solely on Google apps for education. If you were unable to attend, don't worry. Click here to read more and access the all the great resources that were shared.

EdcampSTL 2016It's almost here! Our biggest event of the year. What is EdcampSTL? EdcampSTL brings together those interested in learning and sharing more about best practices in education in an "UNconference" format. This innovative format allows the knowledge and interests of those in attendance to lead the conversations of growth. Learn a little more about the unconference format here.

If you plan on attending, be sure to bring five colleagues along and share the power of networking, collaborating and learning in a different way. Help spread the word on your campus by downloading our flyer from this newsletter.

February 6, 2016

8:00 - 3:30 PM

Pattonville High School

2497 Creve Coeur Mill Rd

Maryland Heights, MO 6304

EdcampSTL Tweet UpNow that you and your colleagues are registered for Edcamp STL, you're making plans to attend our Friday night Tweetup at Urban Chestnut Brewery, right? Our Tweetup is an easy way to meet the new people you'll be learning alongside on Saturday morning. Additional details about the Tweetup can be found here.

"Works In Progress" - A Documentary Nine Network is proud to present "Works in Progress," an American Graduate documentary featuring four young people from the St. Louis area who are struggling to overcome difficult personal circumstances in order to graduate and build successful futures for themselves. By amplifying the voices and stories of these four youth, the film examines issues of economic and educational disparity and the lack of opportunity that is often tied to race and class, but also highlights the supports needed for these young people to succeed. Learn more.

Premieres February 8 at 7 p.m. on Nine Network of Public Media.

Works in Progress | Trailer

RESOURCESTools, Tips, and TricksChromecamp 2016 - Demo Slam Tools

25 Awesome Apps for Teachers, Recommended By Teachers

The Kids Should See This - Smart Videos for Curious Minds

Articles and ResourcesMehlville moves to open innovative project-based elementary school

Defining Makerspaces - Blog Post

10 strategies to make classroom learning feel more like a game!

Children Who Play Succeed

The Science of Classroom Design

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This past Saturday Connected Learning hosted ChromeCamp 2016 at Fox High School.

The event brought together 130 local educators and administrators for an un-conferences focused solely on Google apps for education. An un-conference is where all the attendees create the day's learning agenda and are in charge of their own learning. This half-day event had sessions from Google 101 all the way to Design Thinking with Google. Overall, the attendees led 30 different sessions and shared their wealth of knowledge on a variety of important teaching topics.

Miss ChromeCamp but want to catch up on all the great sharing? No fear! Click the button below to access all the day's awesome resources.

ChromeCamp Resources

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Connected Learning has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Companies and individuals interested in supporting Connected Learning on #GivingTuesday are encouraged to connect with our partnership page www.connectedlearningstl.org/partnerships.

Growing up did you ever have a teacher that made a tremendous impact on your life? A teacher that you could tell truly cared about his or her job, and showed it through the way they taught. Teachers are the people who educate our youth, who in turn become our leaders, doctors, lawyers, police officers, and much more. They give us the tools to prepare us for not only education but also life.

At Connected Learning, we are an organization that engages educators through professional learning experiences that are done differently to elicit a different response. Every dollar we acquire supports education through the development and expansion of professional learning networks. These networks to provide advice, support, ideas, and opportunities to our incredible community of learners and supporters. All of these avenues make our connected community stronger to give teachers the tools they deserve.

About Connected LearningConnected Learning supports those who desire to learn more, are willing to take risks, and think differently about the problems we face in education today. Connected Learning does this by hosting, sponsoring, and supporting events.

Connected Learning is able to maximize its mission of supporting a deeper level of connected learning through these tasks:

We released our first podcast available on itunes (for free).
We expanded our board of advisors from 3 to 5 seen here: http://goo.gl/BAhEoH
We secured an accountant to oversee our finances through quickbooks online.
We expanded our volunteer leadership team from three to twelve leaders of our program seen here: http://goo.gl/BAhEoH
We expanded our programming to include events like Playdate, BreakoutEDU, Urban Design Challenge, Chromecamp, Edcamp Leadership and Edcamp Express.
We’ve developed new relationships with: Cambridge Innovation Center, EdSurge, Pattonville School District, Fox School District, Ferguson-Florissant School District and the United States Department of Education.
We’ve established a working relationship called “The Edcluster” which includes other organizations supporting teacher and education development such as MoreNet, Education Plus, Google Education Group, Educational Technology Association, and TeachSTL.
Our mailing list has reached over 2200 emails and subscriptions to our newsletter.

We want to continue doing this great work for teachers and we will do it free of charge. We are fortunate to get funding from amazing sponsors and donors like yourselves. o please, participate in #GivingTuesday by supporting us today!

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This month Connected Learning partnered with several organizations to put on EdSurge St. Louis. The event, held at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS), brought together administrators and school leaders on a Friday and then teachers on a Saturday to interact with a variety of education technology vendors. Edsurge showcases the latest and greatest in education tools and allows educators to talk directly with the creators. If you missed the event, looks through the list below and check out what these awesome companies are doing!

Actively Learn @activelylearn

BirdBrain Science @birdbrainedu

Branching Minds @branchingminds

Collabrify.IT @collabrify

CourseKicker @coursekicker

Curriculet @curriculet

Drawp @drawpedu

Echograde @echograde

Edthena @edthena

Edusight @edusight

Edutect @edutect

FutureMakers @futuremakers

Hapara @hapara_team

Kiddom @kiddomapp

LearnBop @learnbop

Makkajai @makkajai

Mathspace @mathspace

Mr. Elmer @mrelmerllc

Pagamo

Panoramaed @panoramaed

Ponder @ponderlabsinc

Schoolzilla @schoolzilla

Scrible @scrible

Edulastic @edulastic

ThinkCERCA @thinkcerca

Edcourage @edcourage_edu

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Did you miss all the great learning about the latest edtech at Edsurge? Check out our Storify below to get up to speed!

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Doing W.I.T.Sarah Hernholm is the founder of the non-profit Whatever It Takes (WIT) which provides a college-level course for high school students where they learn entrepreneur and leadership skills while designing, launching and growing social impact projects. She admits she never set out to start this non-profit organization, but now her dream has become a reality and it’s impacting high schools across the country.

WIT started out of the idea that high school students need more leadership and business skills while at the same time students need more of a connection between school and the community. Through this program, students get the opportunity to reflect on what issues face their own community and then they come up with an idea to solve it. During the problem-solving process, students gain not only business knowledge but they also gain real-world skills such as résumé building, budgeting, and interviewing. Most importantly, students walk away from the experience feeling loved, valued, and heard. WIT cares about what students think and their ideas. They’re helping students learn to stand up for themselves and also for their communities.

“Whatever it takes.” That was Sarah’s motto as an elementary school teacher. The message is simple and that goal resonates across high schools too. This non-profit encourages students to #doWIT. Make a difference in the world, whatever it takes.

To hear more about Sarah and her vision, watch her TEDtalk here.

Show notes written by Steven Shaw

Podcast Music: Happy Rock - Bensound.com

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This post by Dr. Amy Peach, Director of Instructional Technology at Fontbonne UniversityAmy leads Design Challenges with her students at Fontbonne and this is her relfection from one recent challenge: school scheduling. How can we incorporate more "real-world" experiences into classrooms? Read the solutions her students came up with!

Ok, after quite a bit of in-class work and letting it fester for a while, I'm sharing the solutions that made it through the design challenge, several that didn't (but may be worth a look), and some resources they were sending after we were finished. The general consensus is that there is no one schedule (no matter how innovative) that will work for every school.

Final selections:

Subject-focused weeks: The idea that each day could center on one subject was explored by several and made it into the final plan for one group. The general premise is that Monday (for example) would be focused on Math. Students attend their classes as scheduled, but Math is integrated into each subject area in a way that demonstrates how it would be used within that discipline. Tuesday could be Science, etc. While these elementary teachers felt it could work for the schedule all year, some believed having periodic weeks like this would be more feasible.

Topic-focused day: another iteration of this idea manifested in a topic-focused day. These were early childhood majors, so they saw this in terms of something small kids might find fascinating, like frogs. On "frog day", they would sing about frogs in music, draw frogs in art, learn about frogs in either ecology or biology, do word problems in math using frogs as the subject....you get the idea. For older students, an area of specific concern for them (maybe a recent environmental disaster, social topic, etc.) can be selected and all faculty tailor a lesson to integrate that theme. This helps students understand that issues of importance transcend subject lines.

Group learning: One group decided to take advantage of concepts learned in multiple intelligences and break the school day into two parts. First half has students in study groups based on their learning tendencies as they relate to MI (musical students learn with other musical students, etc.). Second half breaks them into new learning groups with people who are quite different. While several members wanted to see this done all year, others saw benefit periodically. The concern stemmed from what they saw as a real world concern with people isolating themselves into only like-minded groups (something that is being facilitated by our technology use). While this particular scenario caused some debate, everyone agreed that getting students into mixed groups and holding them accountable for that learning was a real world skill.

Other concepts that were either runners-up or are a combination of ideas among several groups are below:

School designed for the real world: While students can leave the school for real world experiences, many of them can be replicated on the campus itself. School gardens, green houses, student-run businesses, auto repair shops, medical skills labs,

Fontbonne Day! This is a culmination of several ideas I heard. A school can partner with a local university to provide a day of real world learning (and to give teachers the opportunity to attend a conference or work together). Pre-service teachers can come to the school OR students can come to campus for a variety of learning experiences. This would take some work, but could be mutually beneficial.

Standards-driven learning: The possibility of student-created curriculum came up several times. If all students had devices and a portfolio system with the year's "real world" objectives loaded, students could select the open-ended learning opportunities offered each week and simply "check off" that item on their list. For example, if one of the objectives was to learn personal finance, they could attend a Friday afternoon workshop from a financial advisor in a classroom, but they could also opt to visit a bank, help their parents balance their own budget, or set up their own field experience to explore the costs of living. These things wouldn't necessarily have to be learned under the purview of the school if they can demonstrate through an artifact (video, digital photostory, paper, etc.) that they understand the objective. A lot to consider here, but an idea worth exploring further, I think.

Early release/support staff classes: Schedule early release days for school-wide PD in the afternoon and "club time" during the day. Each student selects a "club" to participate in that day. Support staff and admins (with the help of parents and volunteers) can coordinate field studies related to academic pursuits that don't require a certified teacher. One group can visit neighborhood stores and companies to learn about the role of small business in the economy. One can collect specimens from a local park and test them in the lab, etc. MRH does a modified version of this now (except the teachers monitor club days). Having support staff, admins, and community members running the show allows them to take part in the education of our students (making them more invested when it comes time to pass bond issues) and leaves the teachers to themselves (WITHOUT admins running workshops) so they can sort out their own issues in the classroom. When the others return, any issues that affect the entire school community can be discussed when the kids are released early.

Class/Extra-Curricular partnerships: Some classes could blend well with after-school activities. Getting teachers and advisors/coaches to collaborate could be useful.

Simple tweaks to offer a real-world experience:

a "no tech" space with only whiteboards that can be used for people to hold conversations and collaborate (the argument was that students are losing the ability to hold live conversations and they still need to know how to do that).
Virtual field trips and skype guest speakers
Mobile learning labs (STLCC, Mo Bot, and Beta Box in addition to many others offer to bring the party to you in the form of a RV or prototyping studio that can be parked in the school lot).
Expanding PE options beyond team sports (incorporate the way most people get exercise: running, yoga, bowling, ice skating, exercise classes, etc.)
A no-desk classroom (not so much real world as it is designed to encourage collaboration and creativity)

The students were adamant that any schedule changes or curriculum decisions involve the students and their parents (and not a sampling for a focus group, but a whole community survey). They believe that any radical changes will need the support of the community and they could also bring ideas teachers hadn't thought of.

They attempted to search for creative school scheduling options and were getting very frustrated. Everything they found was just a slight variation from what is already being used. The first article addresses a few unusual ideas and the second is actually a discussion forum that has some insight.

Education World Article

Edutopia Article

We want to know what you think of these options and how your school offers students real-world experiences. Leave us your comments below!

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Last week we hosted St. Louis's first ever BreakOut EDU session. As the name suggests, the goal of the session was for teachers to "break out" of a room by solving puzzles in order to unlock the key. The catch? They only got 45 minutes to do it. The BreakOut experience gamifies learning and is meant to show teachers the fun of challenging students to work together and solve their own unique problems in the classroom.

We had 4 different groups come together to solve the riddles and break out in time. The participants came from many different school districts including Union School District, St. Louis Gateway STEM Academy, Soulard School, Affton School District, Principia School, the Disruption Department, and the Innovative Technology in Education Fund. These strangers had to collaborate with each other and think creatively in order to solve the challenges of our BreakOut. Some escaped in time, some were very close, and for others it was a struggle. The one thing everyone had in common? They agreed it was not only challenging, but also engaging and fun!

But don't take our word for it. We have actual footage from the event and we will post reflections from these groups on what they thought about the experience. Connected Learning had a lot of fun hosting the event and we look forward to offering more BreakOut sessions in the future! If you'd like more information about BreakOut or how to host one at your school, send us an email: publicity@connectedlearningstl.org!

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Did you miss the #GAFEMO this year? Check out some of news and resources collected from the day here:

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At Connected Learning, we're all about bringing the best teachers around St. Louis together to improve education for all. We believe that teachers have the best knowledge, skills, and ideas because they are practicing it in their classrooms every day. If only there were a way to share all these successes and also get re-inspired from the successes of other local teachers who are giving it their best for their students?!

That was the teaching conundrum that led us to create Connected Learning. We want to give teachers learning opportunities that give them voice and choice in their professional growth. October is Connected Educator month which reminds us to step back from the daily classroom grind and find new inspiration for our teacher through connecting with other educators. Think that sounds like what you need? Then join us at our next learning event!

Next event: PLAYdate

People Learning and Asking Y (PLAY) is a time for teachers to gather and share their classroom successes or ask fellow teachers for ideas to improve their instruction. The set-up is simple: for three hours teachers will have the chance to propose a room discussion topic and share or walk around to explore rooms for ideas. The learning isn't forced, but you are guaranteed to walk away with many ideas and fantastic new connections!

Check out pictures from our last PLAYdate and register from this FREE learning opportunity today!

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Our very own Alexandria Mooney wrote a blog post for another site recently to recommend some cool new technology tools for her classroom. Have you tried Pixlr, Storymap, Hero Machine, Knight's Lab, or WeVideo before? If not, check out Alexandria's ideas for them here.

Do you have any cool new technology tools to recommend? We'd love to hear about them. Leave us a comment and we'll share it out! Or if try out Alexandria's and want to tell us how you used it in your class, send us a message at publicity@connectedlearningstl.org.

-The Connected Learning Team

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The University of Missouri St. Louis just opened up a new space on their campus dedicated to innovating education. It's called the EdCollabitat. The College of Education turned what used to be an old library into a completely re-designed, modern learning space. The Chancellor of UMSL and the Dean of the College of Education were there to celebrate the opening and tell the story of how UMSL first conceived of this undertaking. Born with the principles of the Stanford D.School in mind, the EdCollabitat will serve as a space to inspire design thinking for everyday problems in education. Design thinking is all about asking the question "What if" to imagine creative new solutions for decade-old problems. The EdCollabitat has three main goals that will guide it's function in the College of Education: to explore possibilities in education, to design and build solutions and to create a plan to implement these new ideas.

Within the space there is a collaboration area, a makerspace, and even an area for local edupreneurs to work on their startup education companies in partnership with MasterCard. There is no shortage of innovative technologies in the space that also add to the learning inspiration. Robots, drones, a green screen, video games, and more enhance the space and reinforce the EdCollabitat's goals. The most important mission, however, is what the EdCollabitat means for local schools. It represents an opportunity to bring teachers together to collaborate professionally and help elevate the education that students in St. Louis receive. It further represents a new opportunity to connect secondary with higher education.

Last night was just the beginning of what lies ahead for the EdCollabitat and the great work being done at UMSL's College of Education. So, go check it out!

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Andrew Goodin is a makerspace teacher at Grand Center Arts Academy and has been for the last three years. From the beginning Andrew had students design and create working solutions to real problems by using the D School Design Thinking Process. He models design thinking in the makerspace by using it to continually improve the learning opportunities available. The results with students are impressive and Andrew has set up a fantastic example of what a makerspace is capable of in a school setting.

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This week Connected Learning teamed up with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Education Technology and hosted the first ever Urban Education Design Challenge here in St. Louis. Thanks to our gracious sponsors at the CIC (4240 Duncan Ave) and the Innovative Technology Education Fund (ITEF) for providing us a venue and refreshments for this special event. We had a packed house of professionals from a variety of fields come together to go through the design thinking process together and work toward improving St. Louis education. The design thinking process started from the Stanford Design School and is a step-by-step method for imagining and then implementing new solutions to everyday problems. Here is the format we used for our Urban Design Challenge:

With the the groundwork in place, the rest of our challenge rested in the hands of the participants and the first step was to empathize. We had the participants learn about each other’s educational backgrounds. In order to overcome the challenges of urban education, and especially given the history of race in St. Louis, it was a critical starting point. We invited all these strangers together to tackle a major issue and in order to work together design thinking requires you put yourselves in each other’s shoes to see the problem from a new perspective.

The next step was equally as important to the night’s success: defining the problem itself. The ultimate goal for the night followed this template: “How might we ACTION WHAT for WHOM in order to change SOMETHING by A TIME?” And each group came up with their own rendition of the equation. They used this as a jumping off point for the ideating and prototyping phases of the design thinking process. Here are examples of how each group defined the problem:

Then, each team had to brainstorm like crazy to create as many solutions to their specific problem. We had so many post-it notes all over the room that showed just how many possibilities are out there to defy our conventional solutions to urban education.

After the brainstorming period, we separated the team members to go learn more about the other teams’ solutions. Then, the entire room could fuse together a solution based on all the ideas in the room. Each group then constructed a prototype solution using unconventional materials to convey their solution to the other teams.

The first ever Urban Education Design Challenge produced well-defined problems and creative solutions to tackle issues facing St. Louis schools. Connected Learning now looks forward to testing and re-ideating these solutions to improve education for all St. Louis students.

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This podcast features an interview with Rebecca Hare. Rebecca is a first career designer second year teacher who brings an interesting perspective on classroom design. Check it out! Who should I interview next? Leave a comment and let me know!

Blog - Connected Learning: Recent Episodes

Patrick Dempsey