Exploring AI

EXPO: Be All You Can Be 2023

"Be All You Can Be" was the theme of this year's annual Expo event hosted by Northwest ISD (NISD) on February 23, 2023. After a 3 year hiatus from the in-person event, we were thrilled to celebrate future-ready learning by involving students, teachers, and the community in an exhibition of the district's innovative and inspiring educational opportunities. Expo gives students the chance to shine as they fine-tune their presentation skills and communicate their creative ideas in a variety of ways. With over 1,100 student presenters, 363 teacher sponsors, and 47 student volunteers, Expo was a fantastic display of NISD's dedication to providing high-quality education. The event demonstrated our commitment to excellence and provided a glimpse into the exciting future of education. This year’s event was said to be the best one yet!
The student presentations at Expo were a highlight of the event, showcasing the impressive knowledge and skills of the student presenters. The presentations offered a diverse range of topics that kept attendees engaged and inspired. Riggs Quinn, a student presenter from Samuel Beck Elementary,  used the Flashcard Factory App to demonstrate his knowledge of heat, sound, and light energy. Beth Quinn, Riggs’ mother, stated that "Expo was a great opportunity for him to work with a team and show off his knowledge. The confidence and teamwork used as they presented to a large group was fun to watch." Leann Shelley, Teacher at
Medlin Middle School, gathered a group of students who presented their Biography Projects through poetry and technology. There was not a dry eye in the room. Shelley shared that, “with teachers' plates heaping higher than ever, it's easy to feel justified in bowing out of "extras." However, I didn't realize that it would renew a sort of excited energy  I haven't had since my first years of teaching. Kids' excitement is motivating and fun! It was nice to take the time to do something that brought everyone such joy.” The student presentations exemplified the district's dedication to cultivating students' education for the future and providing them with opportunities to shine.
	The table demonstration hall and interactive hands on activities were buzzing with energy as students from various schools showcased their talents and skills. Some highlights were the Steele Cosmetology Academy, who demonstrated various techniques and skills in the beauty industry, while the Eaton High School's aviation academy set up flight simulators for attendees to experience flying an airplane. The Biomedical Sciences Academy at Byron Nelson High School showcased scientific demonstrations on anatomy, disease research, and genetic engineering. Meanwhile, the Northwest High School's creative media production academy wowed the crowd with their demonstration of green screen technology. J. Bufkin, an Expo attendee, shared his enthusiasm for the event. According to Bufkin, “the food at the bistro area was phenomenal, and it felt like I was dining in a five-star restaurant instead of a high school.” The Byron Culinary academy hit it out of the park by creating delicious hors d'oeuvres that were absolutely free to attendees. In addition to these, there was an
entire hall dedicated to the arts, where attendees could admire and learn about pottery, jewelry making, and other art forms. The demonstrations were an excellent showcase of the creativity and talent of the students and provided a unique opportunity for the community to learn, engage and be inspired.
The event is not just a learning opportunity for students but also a chance for the community to come together and celebrate the district's achievements. Rix White, a student presenter, appreciated the diversity of people attending the event, saying, "My favorite part of the Expo was seeing people of all ages there. It was so cool to see how education can bring us together and how everyone in the community can impact the learning system!" Rix was not the only student who expressed their admiration for watching a community come together. K. Kearns, a student volunteer from Byron Nelson High School, noted that "It was heart-warming to see our district-wide community come together."
J. Miller-Franklin, another volunteer, was amazed to be a part of such a huge event and said, "EXPO was bustling with life, and I am so glad it took off. I can't wait to see and work for next year's EXPO!" We had many Patrons right in our community donate prizes for student participants. Many students went home with fifty to one hundred dollar gift cards and a grand prize winner recieved their very own Chromebook. Wow, just when you thought it was just an opportunity for students to showcase their talents, you realize it’s so much more. This event teaches students and families to become part of and be celebrated by  their community.
Cara Carter, Chief Technology Officer at NISD, shared her excitement about the event, saying, "Expo is one huge celebration of learning! I love that it is one event that celebrates learning from all campuses, grade levels, and programs. The transparency and excitement of seeing so many different aspects of Northwest ISD is incredible." Carter's enthusiasm for the event is contagious and reflects the passion that educators in the district have for providing a diverse and engaging learning experience for all students. Additionally, she added, "With the amount of submissions and students we have in NISD, it is such an honor to be selected! I hope our students walk away feeling proud of their participation, confident in their learning, and motivated to share beyond NISD." Her words capture the essence of Expo: a celebration of student achievement, innovation, and community engagement.

Want to know more? Check out our Twitter page for updates on next year's events: @NISDExpo or share your Expo experience with us using #NISDExpo.

Innovation Transforms Questioning: New STAAR Type Questions Meets New Canvas Quizzes

'Teams' Work Makes the Dreams Work

    Pockets of NISD staff have been using Microsoft Teams to streamline group conversations; did you know that groups of high school students were allowed the opportunity to test the platform for their unique programs which foster team communication and collaboration? Check out the below Teams experience through the student lens as authored by Sophie Price, student at Steele Early College High School, supported by the program educator, Amber Robinson.

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    Microsoft Teams has been very beneficial to many people at Steele Early College High School, but especially the members of the Steele Student Press - a self-branded name for publications made by Photography, Journalism, and Yearbook students at Steele. Abigail Beck, a photography editor for the Steele Student Press, explains that, “Microsoft Teams has been essential to Journalism’s ability to work as a cohesive team over the past few months.  It allows three different branches of our student press to coordinate planning and execution seamlessly together.” When asked to explain the specifics of her use of Teams, Beck said, “It allows me to put in requests for work I need to delegate, and get essential information and files from other people to allow me to do my job.” 

  Before we had Teams, Beck added, “our team would be reliant on email, which is so much more of a hassle when you are looking for time-sensitive communication.” Teams has many pros, and very few cons. Aubrey Dickinson, our Yearbook Editor in Chief, said, “Being able to contact other editors from the yearbook staff has made the process of producing our yearbook seamless. Having different channels of communication within Teams has kept our Student Press organized and allowed us to work efficiently. We have communicated and approved our social media posts through Teams, as well as planning push weeks to advertise for the sales of our yearbooks.” Like all modern wonders of technology, Teams does occasionally have its glitches, but other than that one would be hard pressed to find any glaring cons. 

Some of our favorite features on Teams include the ability to create different channels to organize conversations, private channels for groups like our editorial board, and the chat feature for collaborating one-on-one. The ability to call someone’s attention to a conversation by using the @mention feature (using the @ symbol, followed by their name) has also been invaluable. For those on the fence about getting Teams, Makenna Morgan, another photography editor for the Steele Student Press, offers these words of encouragement: “It will make your communication more streamlined, you will get more done, and it is a fantastic program for any workplace or organization to use.” If you’re going to use Teams, make sure to check it often, send chats to get used to the program, and use all available features! 

Teams has impacted the Steele Student Press in such a major, positive way.  As Aubrey Dickinson said, “I am incredibly grateful that we were presented the opportunity to use Teams this year and expand the horizons of our Steele Student Press beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”  

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For staff interested in using Microsoft Teams, access it from the Portal to get started. Reach out to your Instructional Technologist for additional support!

Gaming as a SPORT: Expanding Opportunities for Students to Belong and Compete through eSports

Fall means the start of a new sports season! Tryouts are held and a roster is set based on player interests, abilities, and team needs. Practice schedules are created. Preseason matches occur then come regular season games and tournaments; the team works towards Playoffs and has the ultimate goal of making it to Finals. Fans attend to root for the home team and players hope for college recruiters to see their skills and potentially offer scholarships. The competition is tough, but skillful strategizing and teamwork can lead to a big win and open doors for future opportunities.

Nope, this isn't describing the upcoming football season -- this is a look at the new Fall eSports Season! As much as video games seem like a just-for-fun activity, this past time is becoming recognized as a varsity level sport in addition to Generation eSports being selected as the exclusive sponsor for the University Interscholastic League (UIL).

Two Eaton student going head-to-head in the Smash Ultimate Grand Finals.

Depending on the streaming requirements of the game being played, students will either use the designated Alienware PCs or their own gaming devices, such as Nintendo Switches. 

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• Almost 1 Billion awarded in eSports Tournament Prize money in 2021 alone
• Gamers have opportunities to play in front of college recruiters and win scholarships
• Kids can turn a passion into a career in the gaming field
• The 2022 High School eSports League (HSEL) National Championship is hosted in our own 'backyard' at eSports Stadium Arlington
• eSports has competitors across several continents. The Google Map below shows the competitors at the world, national, state, and our own local level for HSEL competitions for the Spring 2021

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"The purpose of eSports is to provide opportunities for ALL students to have a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life as outlined by the NISD Profile of a Graduate" - NISD eSports Code of Conduct

Students at Eaton High School, Northwest High School, and Steele Early College High School participate in eSports Clubs as part of both casual and competitive teams. Student leaders on the various campuses coordinate with their game-based team on practice schedules and upcoming goals for league games.

Students at each of NISD 's high school eSports programs have top-of-the-line gaming PCs from Alienware including the PC and device peripherals such as Alienware mice, keyboards, and headsets.

Popular games on NISD campuses play games include Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Overwatch, Valorant, Rocket League, and League of Legends offered through either the High School eSports League or the PlayVS league; because students have the opportunity to complete in two different leagues, this increases their opportunities for tournament play and competitions to enter. Students communicate game preferences and teams are formed based on student numbers and interests. For example, Super Smash Bros compete in teams of 3 whereas Valorant complete in teams of 5 and Overwatch in teams of 6.

Did you know? Eaton High School had teams compete in PLAYOFFS of different games in each of the past two years!

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Why is eSports an important program? 

What skills are kids getting as a result of their involvement?

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All of the NISD eSports clubs are welcoming new students. Show up and we will find a place for you to belong!

Get more through this NISD blog eSports: More Than Just Fun and Games and by exploring the NISD eSports Code of Conduct.

A “Different” Approach to “Leaving No Student Behind”

Educators are always looking for new ways to reach students and help them find methods or paths for acquiring success in the classroom. However, it seems that there are some students who, despite our best efforts (and their own), struggle with the institutional process of acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to meet traditional measures of success. After recently reading the words of Katie Usher, a Texas elementary school teacher, it became clear that well-known classroom differentiation practices, although very effective and successful for some, may not be enough for students who need a completely different learning environment in order to access the content needed for mastery. Although Katie’s experiences are based on a gifted classroom, her words are important for all students. She asserts that “In the digital era, we can provide all of our students with technological ways to enhance their learning, no matter their academic label. Every student is different and needs to be offered a variety of ways to show what they’ve learned in a way that reflects their individuality.” This is exactly the philosophy behind the ever growing "Eagle Strong" cycle recovery program offered at Eaton High School (EHS). 

Alicia Dunson, a Professional Communication teacher at Eaton, has spent a majority of her career working to find ways to reach students where they are and to help them progress and find methods for success that work for them. Alicia starts by learning about her students and building relationships with them that allow her to not only ask her students some tough questions about previous academic patterns but she is also able to use her positive relationships to push these students to develop levels of accountability and self-sufficiency that gives them ownership in their own learning moving forward. This philosophy of teaching made Alicia a perfect fit to help develop the "Eagle Strong" cycle recovery program at EHS and to begin working with students to access systems and methods more appropriate for their individual learning needs.

In this program, students are identified as needing intervention before completely failing a course and they are not only given an opportunity to access narrowed and unmastered course content through a self-paced online platform, but they also have the support of certified educators working on campus that can assist as needed. Mrs. Dunson facilitates student progress by helping them learn ways to record and track their own mastery of coursework that work for them and by connecting students with teachers and tutors before, during, and after school hours. Through use of these online tools and content, qualifying students can showcase existing knowledge that might previously have been a struggle for them to display and to do so in a timely fashion without getting behind in credits and while receiving both built-in and in-person remediation. The ability to digitally self-accelerate beyond concepts already mastered and to slow down to focus on more difficult areas of the curriculum make this educational experience unique and more effective for some than a traditional environment.

One student in Mrs. Dunson’s "Eagle Strong" program credits this experience with helping her to revisit and master content from multiple courses without the stress and pressure she typically experiences in a regular classroom environment. She feels that the ability to move through material at her own pace puts the responsibility on her and she says that “You have to learn. You cannot just zone out or not pay attention. It’s all on you.” Another student said that she has learned study skills that can help her in other courses and she feels the online coursework helps her because the courses “have a different way of teaching and gives students different ways to learn the material.” She likes the ability to watch and re-watch a lot of videos that show her examples and also enjoys the freedom to go through curriculum on her own.

While many students thrive in a traditional school environment, some need more than tradition can offer or they may have experienced circumstances that hinder their progress in all or parts of a particular course. In some situations, students simply need other ways to access content in order to master the skills and knowledge necessary to grow and thrive. EHS is providing a method for students to do just that through the development of their cycle recovery program and they are creating options for students to learn and excel that allow flexibility and choice while not compromising student time, interests, and most importantly, confidence. This program, in essence, is an example of differentiation at its best and as our fellow Texas educator, Katie Usher, put it, “Differentiating allows students to have their voice heard, which can lead them to become self-motivated learners. And that in turn can help increase both their learning growth and their self-awareness of that growth.” These achievements in differentiation are much needed components of our educational system that truly provide for a future where fewer students are “left behind.”

          Usher, Katie. “Differentiating by Offering Choices.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 10 Apr. 2019, www.edutopia.org/article/differentiating-offering-choices.

Bringing Seesaw to Secondary: Why Seesaw isn't just for Elementary classrooms

As a platform, Seesaw lets students blend pictures, video, voice-over, annotation tools, and external resources. It can be a powerful platform for both creation and reflection. Typically, Seesaw is used by elementary educators because it caters to kids -- it’s icon heavy, makes providing voice and video instructions easy, and because it is web-based, is easily accessed on Chromebooks. Secondary teachers, don’t stop reading yet… 

Middle School teacher Kristy Fair at Gene Pike Middle School is engaging her 6th-grade students through Seesaw. For Veterans Day and as a part of their nonfiction unit, she had her students read an article from Wonderopolis and then create a presentation about what they learned. Beginning with a lesson from Seesaw’s Activity library, which is filled with pre-created activities for K-12 for all contents, Mrs. Fair modified the assignment and instructions to better meet her students' needs. She added voice instructions and asked her students to make personal connections to Veterans day before sharing their research with the class.

What I love about this lesson is that she asks her students to reflect, make connections, and create a resource to share with their classmates all based on what they read. A lesson like this is flexible -- it can easily be made more or less challenging depending on the article linked in and on the level of critical thinking students are being asked to show in their evidence of learning. She modified the task to meet her students' needs. Regardless, Seesaw and Google Slides are simply the tools through which Mrs. Fair assigned and assessed student's comprehension and learning. 

I observed her classes using Seesaw and witnessed first-hand how excited and engaged her middle schoolers were while using Seesaw. They loved sharing their work so that their classmates could see it, and were quick to leave each other positive feedback on what they shared. They were eager to participate -- one student went so far as to respond to the Veterans Day assignment from home the morning before class, sharing a video reflection about how his great-great-grandfather was a veteran.

As a former-high-school-teacher-turned-Instructional-Coach, I had admittedly written this tool off as an elementary-only resource, but working with secondary teachers and students in Seesaw quickly showed me how useful this platform can be for meeting the needs of students of all ages and ability. At its core, Seesaw is a platform for sharing and curating work, for synthesizing thinking and evidence of learning in one easy-to-use and easy-to-share place. As an added bonus it seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom, which many secondary teachers are already using. Seesaw creates choice and flexibility in how students share their learning. Whether asking students to snap a picture of their journal, annotate and reflect on what they wrote or asking students to upload their lab data and reflect on the implications of their scientific findings using videos, Seesaw can amplify the reflections and learning that happens in secondary classrooms. 

Below are a few pre-created secondary Seesaw lessons for various contents that can all be found in the Activity Library. How will you use Seesaw in your secondary classroom?

Esports: More Than Just Fun and Games

Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but training the mind to think.” Teaching
students how to think and how to succeed helps develop those “soft skills” we all frequently hear about as students transition out of formal education. These time tested skills are not just another educational trend or revolving initiative. Characteristics like communication, integrity, empathy, professionalism, time management, responsibility, teamwork, and critical thinking are things that contribute to our social and emotional development and they are what helps us, as humans, to be able to successfully adapt to a variety of situations. What many educators differ on is how to go about facilitating the development of these skills and characteristics in our students.

One way to develop these skills is in the growing realm of esports. It is a relevant place that can not only support Social Emotional Learning initiatives, but it can also facilitate many of those soft skills we want students to gain. In fact, the mission of the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) is “to provide opportunities for ALL students to use esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem solving skills needed to thrive and work in life.” Esports does not just facilitate gamers getting together to play video games, but alternatively, it ensures “that ALL students possess the knowledge and skills needed to be society’s game changers: educated, productive, and empathetic individuals.”

Mr. Fidel Sanchez, a science teacher at V.R. Eaton High School, is leading the charge to establish Eaton’s very own esports club. To the inexperienced gamer, this new club seems like a fun break for students from the regular grind of a traditional learning environment. However, it is way more than it appears on the surface. Esports is projected to become a billion dollar industry in the next year and not just due to hosted events that resemble what you might see at the Super Bowl or World Cup Soccer. Esports has the potential to help a large number of students access college through NCAA scholarship opportunities and related career paths. The Eaton esports group meets twice a week to practice and develop a very complex and impressive skill set. The goal is to build a team that can compete interscholastically for large scale academic recognition, scholarships, and career opportunities.

Michael, a sophomore on Eaton’s team, explains that he loves to participate not only to have fun but also to have the opportunity to be competitive at something he enjoys. He and his teammates, Andy and Larry, feel that esports helps them to develop better communication skills. Parker, a junior orchestra student, agreed that participating in esports has helped him to “be more social” and build the skills necessary to positively interact with others. Kameron, a sophomore team member, agreed and explained that the communication students learn through esports is different than most socialization and in order to be successful, one has to be able to “stay calm during competition and communicate professionally with their teammates to build trust.” He pointed out that “unprofessional communication does not help teammates to believe in your ability to deal with challenges,” which is important for a team to be successful. Beau is a freshman student on the team who says that there is no place for students to “be toxic or to fight with other players.” All the students agreed that participating in esports encourages them “to stay on top of their grades and to prioritize” because maintaining the level of skill needed for competition takes at least an hour or two of practice each night.

These Eaton students hope to see this activity grow larger among younger audiences here at EHS and across the country. They recommend that for anyone interested in getting involved in esports to “just start playing.” They suggest spending time learning about various roles, different strategies, and “champions” (characters) in games like League of Legends or Super Smash Bros. and to work to develop the style of play for their role and “champion.” These students also suggest finding adults like Mr. Sanchez , who are just as passionate about gaming to help them organize and advocate for resources and opportunities necessary for their club’s growth.

Skilled Students: With the Certifications to Prove It

Every choice Patti Hayes makes about her Business Information Management course is funneled through Career and Technical Education (CTE)’s vision for future-ready students: “Skilled, Credentialed, and Ready”. Though, this isn’t unique to her classroom. In high school CTE classrooms throughout Northwest ISD, students are given every opportunity to graduate both skilled and certified with professional, industry certifications.

From students in Health Science earning CPR certifications, to those in Architecture classes certifying in programs like AutoCad, NISD students are graduating, at no cost to them, with industry certifications. “People need to understand that when we talk about industry certifications,” STEM Coordinator Casey Helmick explains, “it’s not like when I was in high school, a computer test that doesn’t mean anything. We are talking about certifications adults are currently paying for in order to get or keep their jobs. That is one way we set our kids up for future success.”

Through CTE, students have access to 27 pathways, each offering unique certifications that relate directly to degrees or fields of interest. For example, engineering students in the STEM Academy earn OSHA certifications their freshman year, and many have earned Autocad and Revit certifications by the time they graduate, while students in Business Information Management have the chance to become Microsoft Masters -- a title many are determined to earn before graduation.

Here is how it works: NISD high school students enrolled in any CTE class have access to Jasper and G-Metrix online, both certification curriculum platforms. Jasper teaches students Microsoft skills, challenging them with 8 skills-based lessons before their final creation project. GMetrix teaches programs like Autodesk and Adobe through 4 create-as-you-go lessons. Once students are trained, they test to certify through Certiport. In addition to these tools, students can supplement their learning with video tutorials from a site called Lynda.com, to which all Northwest ISD students have access.

Northwest High School (NHS) student Hulen Howard is currently certified in OSHA and working on both his Revit and Microsoft Word certifications. “It is the difference between having experience and having something to show that I have this experience,” He said. “If I apply for a job and claim I know Revit, my certification will show them what level of experience I have.”

Patricia Tran, NHS CTE teacher, reminisced, “I have students from the past who call me and say, ‘Hey Mrs. Tran, do you still have that certificate for PowerPoint or Word?’ because now they need it for work. One of Mrs. Tran's former students, Derek Maynard, who is currently attending the NCTC and working as on a maintenance team, can attest to this. He said, "My certifications [allow] me to show off my technical skills that I have learned... and how hard I have worked to get here. [They] have even opened up special opportunities for me at work. I was asked by my current employer to create a 3-dimensional drawing of a stage, based off of my Revit experiences."

Students seem to understand the benefit of pursuing these certifications. Helmick explains, “There are certifications connected to or linked to their pathway, but students aren’t limited to their pathway. They can earn certifications based on what they feel will give them the most potential and advantage on their [resume].” In fact, many Steele Accelerated High School students work towards certifications during their free time.

Steele senior Bergon Connor says he is going through certifications to better himself and build his resume. “I was focused on getting those certifications. Once I got one, I couldn’t stop.”

“A lot of us, when we started, didn’t think [certifications were] important or helpful,” Steele senior Sarah Alam clarified, “Even me. But once I did [start], I realized that having those certifications will be so helpful for [my] future.” For Sarah, who plans on pursuing a theater degree at the University of North Texas, certifications are a way to secure her financial future. She joked, “Believe it or not, theater doesn’t pay that much, so pursuing a job in Data Entry while I am in school will help me. I need a good, stable job as a backup plan.”

Students talk about how certifications can help them reach their goals. Someday Cosmetology student and junior Abigail Warmbrod hopes to open her own salon and massage parlor, and she knows that her certifications are preparing her to present to her employees or use Excel to manage the books. But for now she is learning through her Academy and working a high school job that, she says, her certifications helped her get, “I had a job interview where I was able to explain my certifications. Even though it had nothing to do with the job, it stood out, and I was able to make those connections for them. And it helped me get the job.”

Her teacher, Ms. Hayes, shared more of Abigail’s story, stressing, “Her first year she struggled. But she is determined and [she is] tapping into the resources available to her. To me that is the success story – someone who has struggled to certify, and then continuously battled, but stuck it out.” Hayes added, “It's about learning to be independent and pushing through their struggles. That is the success story…"

To date, Abigail has earned numerous Microsoft certifications, including Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and Word Expert. Her next step is to become an expert in Excel, a test labeled by many as one of the more challenging certifications. “I am very determined to do it. I want that feeling of ‘I am done’. I don’t want to start something without finishing it.” Abigail’s classmate, Sarah, repeated this sentiment, “It’s difficult, but you’ve got to get through. I took Excel [multiple] times, but I pushed through it. And it’s taught me to be persistent and not stop trying. To gain skills and knowledge is really helpful no matter how difficult it is.” Abigail takes her test next Thursday.

The Power of Learning by Experience!

This past spring, students in Mrs. Hayes Business Information Management class experienced the power of learning by experience! Students not only ran their own sports and entertainment business through simulation, but organized their research and experience in a cumulative Google Site.

Martha, currently a Sophomore in the Steele Collegiate Academy ran a successful business and learned a lot along the way. While the research and formative quizzes were an important part of Martha's learning, she truly enjoyed the Google Site as it was her means of reflection. "My Google Site allowed me to communicate everything about my business," commented Martha. "It helped my organize and highlight important information. It also helped me convey my learning in terms that those who didn't know about business could understand." Martha utilized Google Sites to it's full potential as she carefully chose images that would appeal to her audience and used captions to explain their importance.

Perhaps the most personal and powerful aspect of Martha's site, was her use of Screencastify to explain her learning and the development of her business. Screencastify was a new tool for Martha. She points out, "I hadn’t used Screencastify before. A junior came in and showed us what Screencastify was and how to use it. I wasn't sure at first, but it ended up being really easy and made my website more interactive and personal." Martha also pointed out that the purpose of her video and website was not simply to show how she passed the simulation, but to truly explain the business to others. Check out one of Martha's videos:

According to Martha, the most challenging part of this project was the business simulation "The quizzes and reading were pretty easy, but passing the simulation was probably the hardest part. It’s not a memorization portion, but it is skills based." the fact that students had to problem solve and make decisions during the simulation, led to a meaningful and reflective experience. 

Martha Sharing Her ePortfolio and
Project at Steele Showcase

Martha has since added this project to her personal ePortfolio and had the opportunity to share with community members and other students at Steele's 2018 Spring Showcase. She also has earned several certifications last year, one being the Entrepreneurship for Small Business Certification. "I got a 650 out of 700 the first time, but then I sat down with my friend Cassie and we went through what we knew and taught each other. I retook the test and past." Martha also went through Lynda.com courses to study for her certifications.

"When I first started the Business Information Management course, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it," said Martha. "Now, I’m planning to be in Coach Hayes course next year. I can see myself being in a career like this in the future, but regardless I learn so much"

Link to View Martha's Sports and Entertainment Project

Giving Students the "Keys" to Engage

Many adults falsely assume that the current generation of students is lacking any sort of work ethic, loyalty, or desire for learning independence. Some mistakenly stereotype an entire generation of students as full of apathy and an inability to think critically or engage with a world outside of social media. What many fail to see is that we are educating a generation of individuals who may have more intrinsic motivation than we realize. The challenge we face is not how to teach students these qualities but to find ways to bring them out in our students and give them opportunities to apply the necessary thinking to content as they learn to grow and develop the skills we desire to see.

In her 2011 BarnardCollege commencement address, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, encouraged graduates to, “…find something that stirs your passion, a job that matters to you and matters to others. It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It's also a very clear path to happiness.” The students we work with each and every day have a real desire to do just that. A 2017Harvard Business Review article quoted one student as saying, “I would rather make nothing and love going to work every day than make a ton of money and hate going to work every day.” This mentality seems more common among current students and when classroom teachers create purposeful opportunities for those students to help guide them through curriculum, we allow for true “student-driven” instruction that puts the learner behind the wheel and dials into passions, in turn, fueling that intrinsic motivation for learning. Many times, observing the work of academy students at Northwest ISD is the ultimate example of student-driven instruction and is an incredible opportunity for students to spark passions and develop innovative ideas that they are encouraged to pursue as part of academic course work.

In his first year at Eaton High School, Canaan, a Business Management and Entrepreneurship Academy student, was brainstorming for a Junior Achievement Company idea and had a desire to do something that had a “real effect on the world” or solved a real-world problem. He also happened to read an article about human sugar intake and how it was linked to diabetes, cancer, and other health problems. As Canaan continued his research, he watched a documentary on the topic, which spurred him to begin tracking his own sugar intake for about a week. He started tracking it on paper and saw that his own sugar intake far exceeded the amount recommended. His research supported that this was not uncommon and Canaan's very startling discovery prompted him to think about how important is was for people to understand and be aware of this issue. Through his research and continued tracking, Canaan’s interest in this area grew and he wondered if there was an easier way for people to track their own sugar intake. He found few apps and tools online to help and even researched some of the major personal health trackers. While looking at some of the more widely used digital trackers, he found that their primary function was to count calories and fat and that most of them grossly underestimated grams of sugar in foods he consumed. Canaan knew there must be a way to create something to meet this increasing need and started looking for courses at school that would help him pursue this new found interest.

Canaan eventually signed up for William Gilbert’s web applications course where he could acquire basic knowledge for coding and building apps on his own. Mr. Gilbert recalled Canaan approaching him about one of the course assignments and asking to incorporate his ideas for sugar tracking. Mr. Gilbert said that “He changed the assignment when he came to me about his research and asked me to allow him to do something different and more complicated.” Gilbert allowed Canaan the opportunity to pursue his area of interest and Canaan turned it into Bloom, an app for sugar intake tracking. 

Canaan has since continued to update and work on his app and has an entire notebook, or journal, for ideas he plans to incorporate. He did say that he was a bit disappointed that there were only so many courses he could fit into his schedule to advance his desire to code and develop apps. However, Canaan continues to record suggestions from classmates and gathers outside feedback to help him continue developing ideas for evolving his app. He plans to develop this web based application that can also be accessed from a computer or a smart phone and wants to incorporate a variety of convenient features in the future to help with more accurate tracking of sugar intake.

Without the opportunity provided in our BME academy to creatively think about societal needs and possible business ventures and without the willingness of Mr. Gilbert to hand over the “keys” to learning to his students, Canaan’s idea would not have come to fruition. It’s his personal drive to make a difference and the willingness of Canaan's teachers to facilitate and open up this opportunity that drove Canaan to conceptualize his "passion project" while also learning useful and relevant academic skills.

Mr. Gilbert’s web applications course also allowed three other innovative students an opportunity to develop tools that not only met a course requirement, but also addressed a need in the Eaton UIL community. Nate and two of his peers, Devon and Nate, are part of the Eaton UIL computer science team. While at competitions, they noticed that results were usually printed on a single 8½ x 11 sheet of paper and posted on a wall in the school cafeteria for a bunch of students to crowd around and try to decipher. They felt that this method of sharing competition results was much “more difficult than it should be” and they worked together to develop an app that works with current University InterscholasticLeague (UIL) event tabulation procedures for electronically communicating competition results. 

The app was deployed at an Eaton UIL competition last year and worked incredibly well for electronic dissemination of news updates and scores and efficiently communicated rounds and results to all students and coaches. Nate said that he liked how the app “alleviated a disconnect between scorers and competitors.” It worked so well that these students decided to add in speech event tabulation to the app for the 2018 Eaton UIL tournament. The feedback from their endeavor was all positive and noted how well these students served a legitimate need in the school community.

Another group of students who utilize passions and skills acquired through academic course study can be found in Eaton High School’s Book Club, sponsored by the EHS Library Media Center. Crystal and Jasmine are prominent book club members and say they joined book club because they school helped them to acquire a love for reading and they wanted to connect with friends who also loved to read. Jasmine, specifically, appreciated that Mrs. Sarah Thomasson took an interest in her, as a new student who was previously home-schooled, and showed her that she could reach out to others in the group by joining book club and getting involved with the YouTube channel, called "ISBN Thinking," produced by its members.

The channel was started after members students, who had an interest in other online book reviews, realized that they had all the skills and resources necessary to produce something similar, and according to Crystal, “We knew we could do it better.” The students worked with Mrs. Thomasson to utilize library resources for recording of online book talks and originally used a back room in the EHS library for producing and editing of their videos, which they learned to do with the knowledge gained in several of their classes and with the help of Mrs. Thomasson. The EHS Book Club meets during lunch shifts or Eagle Time to film and they have produced video reviews of books available through the Eaton High School Library. These students also make an effort to cover all of the North Texas “Battle of the Books” texts and involve all twenty-two members of book club in reviewing books and filming talks.

The group is currently not posting new videos because they are in need of a new location for filming and hope to find a suitable and accessible location at EHS very soon as they have plans to increase filming on a more regular basis and to organize the group with a set schedule and structure that they believe will provide added online and library traffic. These students love being able to share their own passions for reading, critical analysis, and video production through this very relevant educational outlet that is meant to strike a love for reading in other EHS students.

Obviously, there are an innumerable amount of opportunities for students at NISD to find and pursue individual passions through academic study. Allowing students to take control of those opportunities and push themselves forward are what will empower and motivate them to positively engage with and change their community. These students are part of a generation described by many adjectives but apathetic, disengaged, and lazy should not be part of them. This generation is motivated to go above and beyond in pursuit of things that are important to improving the world around them if educators will only help them to engage in content in ways that interest them. With an amazing wealth of tools to help students access those opportunities and fuel the desire to do more than consume technology and resources they can create in ways that will permanently benefit the world.

Student Choice & Content Creation - Not So "Foreign" After All!

Learning a foreign language can be, well, foreign sometimes! On top of mastering new vocabulary and verb conjugations, students in Pre-AP Spanish II are also learning the difference between two past tenses, preterite and imperfect, and then identifying the corresponding verb conjugation for that correct past tense - whew! In Spanish, you must differentiate between the two types of past tense shown the below table.

	Preterite Tense	Imperfect Tense
Definition	A completed action in the past	Ongoing, repeated, or past actions without implied specific beginning or end
Example	“He put his hand through the car window.”	“The birds sang.”

It’s been said that mastering preterite and imperfect can be done through repetition in that the more you do it, the better you will get at it. While this skill can be sharpened through worksheets or practice sentences, this concept is a difficult one that gets solidified in memory when it is applied. Language is developed through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, so what avenue is best to facilitate this language acquisition?

Asking a high school student to speak in front of their peers is scary enough, add on top of that the factors of the language not being their primary one, compiled with a new and super challenging concept as well as one that requires much thought before the actual sentence is constructed. Listening and reading are both effective in learning the content, but both of these depend on teacher-facilitated content consumption rather than student-driven content creation.  So, two Byron Nelson Pre-AP Spanish teachers, Matt Condon and Isabel Greuling, created the perfect project to get the best mix of language development through product creation with appropriate scaffolds to facilitate student success. Students were tasked with writing their own Spanish Children’s Story Book!

To communicate clear expectations, students received this Rubric, Requirements, and Rough Draft document which contains intentional planning tools such as separate boxes to pre-write two sentences per page, a space to plan vocabulary that will be used and its translation in both English and Spanish, and instructions to highlight verbs and grammar. To facilitate effective story development, students also completed this StoryStarter questionnaire to help students develop the concept prior to developing the language used to describe it. To gain quality peer feedback, students reviewed each other’s rough drafts using this Peer Edit Guiding Questions. Lastly, students constructed their final draft using the online story creator site: Story Jumper; those who are more artistically advanced or who prefer to work offline also had the option to creating a physical book that meets these same requirements.

Below are a few exemplars. Click each image to view the full version within Story Jumper.

Pedro, Carlos, y Los Perritos Calientes

Teacher Feedback: Jackson did a fantastic job of using the preterite and imperfect correctly throughout his book. This book contained very few errors and had a wide range of varied vocabulary covered in Spanish 1 & 2.  Jackson terrifically demonstrated his knowledge and mastery of grammar and vocabulary concepts from the last few chapters.  

Los Peces y El Taco

Teacher Feedback: Dylan exceeded the project’s expectations on this activity by creating a funny, original story with a surprise ending and using correct preterite & imperfect usage to narrate the book.

Rico Y Los Ratones

Teacher Feedback: Adriana's story is very original, and she uses multiple concepts we have learned this year very well. 

Additional student exemplars: Samuel el Sapito and La Mofeta Triste

Students were able to extend the project a step further in creating an audio file of them reading aloud their storybook; thus, refining the skill of speaking the language. In doing so, students can practice pronunciation using a familiar text that they personally constructed which again sets the student up for success. This optional additional audio file can be embedded on the first page of each Story Jumper book.

“I don’t teach a foreign language, so how can this concept be applied to my classroom?”

This project has multiple elements of "good teaching" that can be applied to all ages and content areas.

Highest level of Bloom’s = Creation

• Are you providing time for your students to apply their learning to their own student-driven product?

Student Choice

• Students were able to choose their own setting, characters, and script providing multiple opportunities for student buy-in and student-selected opportunities to demonstrate success.

Scaffolding

• Appropriate planning documents and class time were provided to allow students to pre-write and get peer-feedback for revising and editing.

Cross-curricular

• Since Spanish is a language, incorporating ELA elements lend itself easily to this task. Rather than simply saying “Write using appropriate grammar,” this project reminded students of multiple literary elements such as setting, character development, and climax which are concepts currently being studied in English I-IV.

This activity meets ISTE's Student Standard of being a 'Creative Communicator' in which "Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.." (6c)