There's something special about going to a CUE Rockstar camp, my first ever as an attendee. The sessions are long, the lunch breaks are long, and there is this unspoken expectation that you connect and network. Another thing that's nice about being an attendee is that nobody knows me. Y'know, the guy who's on Twitter way too much. That me. I'm just John.

Jessica, a TOSA from OPUSD, was informed that I like math... yep. So she turns and tells me that she has an idea:

"So I want to assign 30 problems of homework to the students..."

And I about lost it. But, being receptive, continued to listen.

"...Each student would be assigned ONE problem and they would be responsible for solving the problem, posting a video of their process and the solution."

OK, now you have my attention. We talked through it for about 30 minutes, iterating off of each other's ideas until we got to the point of saturation. The idea had brewed long enough, so now it was time to build.

For anyone who's unfamiliar, I am a fan of the Flipped Classroom. I think that it opened up a lot of time during my class for students to create and explore the mathematics and the connections they can make. At the same time, there are people who have a different definition than me, so I've steered clear for a while. This is, essentially, a flipped classroom model, but with the students doing the flipping. They are the ones teaching their classmates how to do the problems.

Coming back to it, here are the guts:

On the main spreadsheet, the teacher would create a new tab for each assignment within a chapter. The students would be assigned a problem from a set, complete the problem and the video, and upload it to YouTube. They would then place their name and the link in the appropriate row.

The next day, students would go in and watch one video from a classmate and comment on it if the solution and steps were correct. The catch is that the teacher has told a few students to make a mistake. If the student watches a video with an error, they are to correct the error and post a rebuttal video with the correct steps and solution.

When this whole system is built and in place, the class would have a spreadsheet for every chapter with dozens--perhaps hundreds--of instructional videos built by their peers as a review system and reference for future needs. 

Jessica even built a template for students to follow who might need support with their narrative and she also built a sample rubric.

This thing is brand new and we believe that it could be there to empower students, so I'm up for any recommendations on how it can be improved. Holler!

Cinching up my tie for the first day back at work, I was thrilled for the upcoming school year to support teachers with the implementation of technology and shifting the pedagogy with their newfound knowledge and resources. As I got onto one of our campuses, a familiar face met me and said:

"It must be nice. No students, no classroom to prepare for, no syllabus to prep."

This shouldn't have rubbed me the wrong way, but it did, no matter how hard I tried to play it off. If you only knew how much I missed the students, the interactions with colleagues around content, the hustle and bustle of the first days of school, and the genuine looks on kids' faces as they stroll into class on Day One.

But yes, it is nice. For the past two weeks, I've seen quite a bit of incredible things. Teachers from all over our district have had a lot to say.

• One has turned her syllabus into a hyperlinked adventure for students to explore and dive into some of the content.
• Seven have created a digital journal document with an Add-On called DocAppender that will automatically add a new prompt to the bottom of each student's Doc with the submission of a form.
• One has decided to flip his classroom, use Google Forms, and figure out a way to teach math differently.
• One has realized that technology is everywhere and will be redesigning every unit throughout the year to accommodate where students' skill levels are at.
• Four have seen Assistive Technology for their students and have already asked about me coming in to help with learning ways to improve instruction with their students with disabilities.
• Eight have received a new iPad as teachers who are new to the district, only to immediately ask questions about how they can be used in the classroom.

And much, much more. 

It is nice. You know that feeling when you see a student get it? Like, really get it? How about the one when you see a group of students get a sark of curiosity and dedicate themselves to chasing it? That's what's happening right now in our district, and in districts all over the country, as technology is becoming ubiquitous in the workplace. It isn't easy; I'm going campus to campus, classroom to classroom, supporting teachers with the myriad of questions they have.

I still consider myself a teacher, even though my students are a bit older than yours and have more formal education than yours. 

 But... it's worth it, and it's nice.

Happy "Proud Educator" Fishing