Professional Highlights of 2013

As the calendar year comes to an end I like to take the time to look back on  2013.  It truly has been an incredible year for me for so many reasons. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Face to Face Meetings

This has been another crazy year of face to face meetings. If I started to list off all the incredible people I was able to meet face to face this year I'm sure I'd forget some along the way.  Here are just some of my many face to face meetings in 2013.

Laura, Kristin, Joy and I

Theresa and I

Kristen, Me, and Val

Me and Miriam

Denise and I

Jen, Me, and Sue

Linda and I

Melvina, Me, and JoAnn

Sara and I

Kathy and I

Preston, Louise, Me, and Anne

Me and Tina

Drew, Me, and Brad

Joan and I

Me and Julie

Peter and I

Joan, Krissy, Cheryl and I

Matt and I

Me and Rodney

Me, Melvina, Louise, and Paula

Kristin, Kristen, Me, and Kathy


Tanya and I


Me and Jenn

Tanya, Me, Marcie, and Kristen

Colleen and I

2. Conferences and Learning Opportunities

In 2013 I was very fortunate to attend many workshops, conferences, and learning opportunities.  Highlights include:

• Days spent in Kathy Cassidy (Moose Jaw) , Kristen Wideen (Windsor), and Kristin Ziemke's (Chicago) classrooms
• Surrey's Digital Dinner Series
• Discovery Ed Hangouts with Dean Shareski and Friends
• Connected Ed Canada (Calgary)
• ISTE (San Antonio)
• Apple Institute (Austin)
• ECCO (Niagara Falls)

Kristin's Classroom

Kathy's Classroom

Kristen's Classroom


Airport Pick Up for the ADE Institute

The crowd I presented to at ECOO

3. Recognition and Accomplishments

In 2013 I was recognized for three major accomplishments. These included receiving my twenty year coaching award, being chosen as an Apple Distinguished Educator, and being awarded the ISTE Kay L Bitter Award.

20 Years of Coaching Recognition

ISTE Kay L Bitter Award

4. Other Crazy and Other Exciting Things

A few pretty crazy, exciting, or lucky things also happened to me in 2013. These included:

Using face time to bring a video game programmer into my classroom, while at the same time Skyping in a #1stchat friend's son so he could learn with my class too.

Presenting for an on-line course through Skype to a laptop in Ontario Canada since I couldn't get into the blackboard collaborate room where the "live" session was talking place.

My computer as my voice was skyped into a session I couldn't get into.

Being in an interview with Alec Couros and then crashing Dean Shareski's Discovery Ed Google Hangout with Alec. I loved the look on Dean's face but I especially loved the magic Discovery Ed Mints which passed through the computer screens.

Brings a surprise guest to a Discovery Ed Google Hangout

A surprise lunch with Kathy Cassidy, Alec Couros, and Dean Shareski. It pays to make the trek to Moose Jaw.

Lunch at Dean's with Alec and Kathy too.

Trying Google Glass!

Yup, that's Google Glass

Eating Texas shaped waffles.

State of Texas Waffle
(Well not exactly with the right plate placement)

Being asked to do the very first Edu Slam and having so much fun with Tanya and Holly.

Winning my conference registration for ISTE 2014 at ISTE 2013.

Being on TV during the morning show with  Jill Krop of Global TV talking about using Social Media in my grade one classroom.

Eating the craziest breakfast in Portland of fried chicken and waffles. But don't worry, it was shared.

Fried Chicken and Waffles for Breakfast

Being part of not one, but two lip dubs. Well I guess technically it was just my class in the second lip dub.

So as you can see 2013 was a pretty incredible year for me and I can only begin to imagine what is in store for 2014.  Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, happy 2014.

The Global Read Aloud - Creating the Project I Wanted to Join

When the Global Read Aloud was set to begin early last fall I signed up my class and started looking for teachers to collaborate with over the chapter book Marty McGuire by Kate Messner.   If you don't know much about the Global Read Aloud you must check out the official blog created by Pernille Ripp.  Last year my class connected with several different classes for a variety of purposes.  This year I wanted to do something different.

Over the past year my class and I have dove quite deeply into co-creating with others.  I've figured out ways to make it work over different devices and operating systems.  When there was a challenge, or issue, I found a way to solve it.  This year for the Global Read Aloud I wanted to see what would happen if I invited the world to co-create with my class over Marty McGuire.   I created a project and invited the world to join along.

I had this brilliant idea that I would ask classes to take ownership of a section or two of the book and then I would combined all the contributions together into a movie.  I set up a google doc with information and shared it on twitter and the various sharing sites Pernille has set up for us to connect with one another over the shared book. I was over whelmed with the responses I received as the project filled up quite quickly.  Those who had signed up for more than one section were great though and gave up sections to let others join along.  Every thing was moving smoothly and over 40 different classes were involved.

I purposely left the parameters of the project wide open because I didn't want to add any pressure to teachers, and I also wanted to see (and learn about) the different ways classroom teachers were documenting their learning through Marty McGuire.  The submissions that came in covered so many different aspects of Mary McGuire. Plus they were all so different which was exactly what I was hoping for.

In order for me to collect classroom submissions participants could either send me a link to shared folder where their contribution was stored and I could download from, e-mail me their contribution directly, or use the dropitto.me I had set up.

At first contributions were really slow to come in and I was worried.  Were my e-mails getting through to the participants? Were people creating anything? Was this project going to be a flop?  Thankfully my worries were calmed when submissions started to come in.

I had trouble with some of the submissions I received. Some classes created entries with apps or websites that I could not download from.  I could view them but I couldn't  add them to the project in the format that they were in. I did  some problem solving and "google/twitter research" but eventually I was able to do something with most of the entries I received.  You'll notice that the quality in some of the entries isn't ideal because I had to screen cast them in order to add them to the final project .  In other cases it was the audio I received. I played a fair bit with audio tracks but for so many of them I just couldn't get them sounding as clear as I would have liked.  As a whole I think I did a pretty good job with all the submissions I received.

After several e-mails reminders about submissions, and stretching deadlines I had all the submissions I was going to get.  For some chapters I had more submissions than others but as a whole I had plenty of submissions.  It was then time to put the project together.

This past summer I was fortunate to attend the Apple Institute in Austin, Texas where I learned a ton about Apple software.  Final Cut Pro x was one such piece of software. I used it to create  the final project because it has way more options for creation than iMovie.  It was a great learning experience for me to play with the program and get to know it even better.

With the project complete I created a quick time movie and attempted to share it to youtube. At that point it was HUGE in size and would have taken days to upload to youtube.  I had a quick panic (yes, I had a few of these over the course of the project), did a bit of "google research" and found a way to make it smaller in size.  Unfortunately when I made it smaller the quality also dropped a lot and it still took over 12 hours to upload to youtube.  But it was what it was at that point so I sent it out to the participants.

Unfortunately at that point I realized I had forgotten to add one of the submissions  I had received. I felt awful and quickly added it to the finished product.  I waited a bit too in case I had forgotten others.  I didn't hear anything so I felt it was safe to go through the uploading process again.  The second time around I was a lot smarter. I was able to make a much clearer smaller version and so instead of taking 12 hours to upload to youtube it only took five or so (not exactly sure as I did it while I slept).

The final version is now complete and ready to share with the world.  I will admit it is much longer than most primary students can sit through but I highly recommend you take the time to watch the different entries. It's broken down into chapter sections so that may be a way to watch it in small installments.  In hindsight I could have created movies for each chapter or every so many chapters.  I toyed with the idea but there was quite a discrepancy with the number of entires I received for each chapter. For some chapters  I received every single entry plus some I didn't know I was receiving, and for other chapters I received very little.  I didn't want to make those missing entires seem so obvious. It is certainly something I'd think about for next time.

So, are you curious to see how the final version turned out?  No problem. Here it is.

Thanks Shawn, Faige, and Victoria! A little more about me.

Within ten or so days of being tagged by my dear friend Tia Henriksen, I was tagged three more times by Shawn Davids, Faige Meller, and Victoria Olson.  Since I've done this once already I figured I could mix it up a bit.  I will share ten more facts about myself, but I will pick and choose which five questions I'll answer. Of course you can always read my previous post and learn even more about me.  I won't be tagging anyone else either but if you'd like to tell me about yourself I'd love to read about it on your blog.  I must admit it has been a lot of fun learning more about so many of the people I highly respect on Twitter.

So here goes.  Ten more facts about me:

1.  I grew up the middle child of five. I have two older brothers and two younger (twin) sisters.  From oldest to youngest there is a 5.5 year age gap, total. Yes, I grew up in a very busy household and I can't imagine anything else.

Me in the middle with my older brothers and younger sisters.

2. Being the middle child of five I am extremely independent.  It is one of my greatest strengths and one of my biggest weaknesses.

3.  I love to travel. So far I have visited over 20 countries but I have way more of the world to see. I rarely go back to the same place twice. Not never, but rarely.  Australia is always calling me back.

The Long Neck Tribe, Northern Thailand

4. When I applied to go to university becoming a teacher was never my reason why.  Now that I'm in my 22nd year of  teaching I can't imagine doing anything else.

5. As a child growing up Friday nights were chicken dinner for Shabbat, Saturday nights were "kids fend for themselves", and Sundays we went out to eat.  To this day I still have dinner with my dad on most Sunday nights.

My father  and I when he visited me in Australia.

6.  I rarely buy lottery tickets. I learned a long time ago to appreciate what I have instead of chasing what I don't have.  I have so much to be thankful for already.

7.  I am extremely blessed in the friendship department.  

8.   I lost both of my grandparents on my father's side within 48 hours of each other. A true love story but a very sad time for those of us left behind. Last spring I also lost  both my aunt (mom's sister), and my uncle (dad's brother) within six days.  Another very sad time in my life.

9. I make an effort to see the good in every thing around me. If you've ever received an e-mail from me you'll know that my signature line is, "There is good all around you - you just have to see it".  

10. When I purchased my first car I could not drive it because it was a stick shift. Obviously I learned, quickly, and to this day all my cars have been stick shifts. 

The inside of my present car. I love my Mini Cooper S, Mayfair Edition.

Here are some of the questions asked by Shawn, Faige, and Victoria and my answers too.

1. Smooth or Crunchy Peanut Butter?

Smooth, always. My stomach has a lot of trouble breaking down peanuts. Smooth solves so many of those problems.

2. If you could sit down for one hour (or day) with any person, past or present, who would it be and why?

That's easy, my mom.  I lost her far too young and I still have so many questions for her.

3. What's one of the scariest things you've ever done?

Leaving all my friends and family and moving to Australia by myself for a year where I knew NO ONE. Best year ever pushing boundaries and once again realizing I CAN do anything I set my mind to.

4. What would you redo if you could?

I would have gone away for my post secondary education straight from high school. At the time I took the safe road which is the one regret I have.  Now a days I  rarely take the safe route.  I now know I'm a lot stronger than I ever realized. 

5.  What is your favourite day of the year and what do you spend it doing?

Growing up, with out a doubt, my birthday was my favourite day of the year. It was the one day of the year where I was noticed and made to feel extra special. To this day my birthday is a favourite day of mine.  Now a days I try to get outside and into nature on my birthday.  A birthday hike with friends is one of my favourite ways to spend the day.

Thanks Shawn, Faige, and Victoria for sharing little bit of yourself with me, and for pushing me to share a little more.

Here are a couple bonus facts.  Unlike the rest of my immediate family, I do not have blue eyes, nor do I wear corrective glasses or contact lenses. My sisters have since had eye surgery but there was a time when they had to wear glasses or contacts. Me, never or at least not yet.

Thanks Tia!

As if life in the past week hasn't been nutty enough with power outages, report cards, conferences, family Hanukkah,  a heat less home, and no voice for 3+ days, my wonderful friend Tia has given me homework.  But I think the world of Tia and since she was the one that got me on to twitter which in turn has changed me so much as an educator, I can't possibly say no. 

So here's how it works (although I'm pretty sure most of you have already been tagged by one "friend" or another), I tell you eleven facts about me that you probably don't know.  I answer Tia's questions, I ask eleven of you to do the same, and I give you questions to answer. Sound like fun? Keep reading to find out. Maybe you're one of the eleven, and if you're not and want in then feel free to jump in too.

Here goes…

Eleven Facts You Didn't (or Did?) Know About Me

1. I have run marathons in seven different cities, the furthest away being Paris, France. And yes, I have run more than seven stand alone marathons.  Can you figure out how?

2. In my first two Ironman triathlons my swim times were the same, to the second. For an almost 4 km swim that’s a real skill. And if you’re curious I’ve done Ironman five times. I promise. I have the finishing medals to prove it.

3. In October 2011 I did not know how to turn on an iPod. True story, ask Orwell.,  I was a mess with a friend's smart phone too.

4. I have lived in London, England, and Melbourne Australia but Vancouver, Canada will always be home.

5. I live 800 metres away from where I was born. Kind of freaky I know.

6. During 2009, while living and teaching in Australia, I flew 50 times. My cheapest flight was $24 from Melbourne to Canberra (about an hour flight) which was $2 more than the cab ride to the hotel when I arrived.

7. I have a twitter twin who I highly admire. We figured it out over a mysterious cleaning fairy (who  sadly never showed up).

8. My TV is still a box, and a really heavy one too.

9. In elementary school I learned how to read and write in Hebrew at the same time I learned how to read and write in English. French was added in grade four.

10. I eat corn on the cob with a fork.  I’m really good at it too and rarely miss a kernel.

11. I’m very quiet in large groups and much prefer one on one conversations yet have no problem sharing to a room full of strangers.

Tia's Questions and My Answers

1. What are your favourite and least favourite colours?

When my students ask I say every colour but when pestered a bit more it's pink and brown.  I'm not a fan of blue but turquoise is okay.

2. What was your favourite subject / least favourite subject in school?

I was really good at math so I guess it was a favourite. I felt I was a lousy artist because what I envisioned in my mind was never what I created. I still have trouble there. I’m a brilliant artist in my head, not so much outside of it.

3. Where were you born?

I was born less than 800 meters from where I live now. I wonder if anyone can top that? And yes, I was born in a hospital.

4. What was your lowest grade in your post-secondary classes? In what class?

I plea the fifth.  Next...

5. What is the best characteristic you received from your mom?

Kindness and hopefully a few others. My mom was an amazing lady. Sheesh I miss her.

6. What is your favourite childhood memory?

Celebrating my birthday with just my mom and my dad. I picked the restaurant, and I picked the ice cream shop after. As the middle child of five I never got my parents to myself. This was a really big deal for me.

7. How old were you when you learned to swim?

Young, maybe 4? It helped keep me alive when my brothers tried to throw me into a pool during family vacations.

8. Is Disneyland really the Happiest Place on Earth?

Heck no.  People, crowds, noise, smells. I can think of a lot better places I'd rather be.  Did I mention I hate crowds?

9. What’s your favourite video you’ve watched recently on social media?

The West Jet Christmas Surprise

10. If you could plan it, what would your last meal consist of?

Hmm, more than likely something Asian.

11. What makes you happiest?

Spending time in nature.

Your Turn…

1. Carrie Gelson

2. Aviva Dunsiger

3. Angie Harrison

4. Leka DeGroot

5. Kristen Wideen

6. Michelle Hiebert

7. Krissy Venosdale

8. Laura Komos

9. Elisa Carlson

10. Joan Young

11. Vicki Davis

My questions for you…

1. What is your favourite season and why?

*2.  If you could travel any where, where would you go? Why?  

3.   Runner or walker?

4.  What scares you?

5.   What is one accomplishment you are proud of? 

6.  What have you been served, that you ate out of respect, but really didn't like it?

7.  Water  or snow sports?

8.  Have you broken any bones? If so which ones? How?

9.  Where's the furthest you've been away from home?

10. What is/are your comfort food(s)?  

11. What's the biggest surprise of your life?

So here's the nitty gritty…. 

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers.
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

Post back here with a link after you write this. Go on, you have homework to do.

*Yes Krissy, the moon is okay!