The Thread That Ties Us Together

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.

Digital Citizenship in NISD: It's a Team Effort!

As we start a new school year, our teachers are focused on setting clear norms and expectations for their classes. These expectations don’t simply apply to the physical classroom, but to digital spaces as well. The NISD digital citizenship curriculum jumpstarts conversations that will be looped in throughout the year as students navigate their digital spaces. The NISD vision for digital citizenship is that “Northwest ISD will develop citizens who know how to harness the learning potential of digital media in a 24/7 connected world, safely, effectively, ethically, and respectfully. By developing and practicing these skills, students will become leaders in this digital society and be Future-Ready.”

We believe the five digital citizenship lessons delivered to students are relevant, beneficial, and timely. We also know these lessons alone will not produce good digital citizens. Digital Citizenship is an ongoing conversation and a shared task by teachers, families, and students. We’ll explore how all three of these groups can work together to help our students navigate their digital world.

AGE APPROPRIATE LESSONS: 

Each of the five lessons focus on the same topic K-12, but is adjusted based on the grade band. For example, “Module 1: Digital Identity and Reputation” includes vocabulary words such as “Digital Citizen” and “Digital Footprint,” across all grade lessons. With that said, definitions are defined and explored differently in each grade level. Module 1 includes a Chromebook pledge laying out digital norms for students in an age appropriate format. It also helps students take ownership of their digital responsibility at school. Take a peak at how this lesson grows with our students: 

K-2 Chromebook Pledge, 3-5 Chromebook Pledge, & 9-12 Diving into the RUP

TEACHERS - A GLIMPSE INTO THE CLASSROOM:

3rd Grade at Nance Elementary

3-12 lessons are run in Pear Deck to give each student and every class a voice in the conversation. Mrs. Kuhlman, 3rd Grade at Nance Elementary, leads her students through Module 1 where students not only sign the Chromebook pledge, but they look at scenarios to decide what they can control when it comes to their digital footprint.

Mrs. Gilmore, Kindergarten at Nance Elementary points out, “I think the lessons have done a great job of being relatable to the students and their experiences with technology.  We loved getting up and moving during the first lesson to act out how we use the different parts of our bodies to be good digital citizens.”

After learning about what is means to be a Digital Citizen, our youngest K-2 learners complete a Seesaw activity. Mrs. Wheat’s 1st grade class at Roanoke Elementary learned that a good digital citizen sets screen time limits and asks a trusted adult before playing games or visiting new sites. Check out some of their work: 

Click the Image to Enlarge

Teachers can also request a Digital Citizenship poster at the end of the five lessons and make the #1toWorld Promise as a class. 

Our NISD teachers weave the content from digital citizenship into lessons organically throughout the year. 

STUDENTS: TAKING OWNERSHIP & RESPONSIBILITY:

When asked what they learned after the first module of digital citizenship, Reagan from Mrs. Wheat’s 1st grade class said, “A good digital citizen is kind online.” She adds “You should set a timer so you’re not online too long because your eyes might hurt.” Olumide, another one of Mrs. Wheat’s students commented, “make sure to ask an adult for help if you’re on a site you shouldn’t be on.”

Our youngest digital citizens have reflective thoughts as well. Listen to what a few of Mrs. Gilmore’s students have to say after their first lesson together: 

When asked why Digital Citizenship lessons are important, Brandon (5th grade at Granger Elementary) commented, “These lessons are good to learn now, so we don’t have to pay a consequence later for not knowing how to act online.” Within 3-5 digital citizenship lessons, students have learned that technology use at home and school may look different. Brandon points out, “At school, you can only control yourself. If your friends are on a site they aren’t supposed to be, it’s your responsibility to stay on task.” Amelia adds, “You can also remind your friends to stay on websites that they are supposed to be on.” She adds, “At school we use our computers for school.” 

Amelia, Brandon, and Jason all enjoy online games outside of school such as Super Smash Bros, Minecraft, & Roblox. They agree that digital citizenship helps remind them that they are in control of what they choose to play and how long they play. Jason adds, “I need to watch appropriate videos and every once in a while play a game when it’s appropriate and fun.”  

Many high school students will be receiving Module 1 of Digital Citizenship in the coming weeks.

FAMILIES - PARTNERING WITH SCHOOLS:

We know families are the primary influences in their children’s lives. We don’t want the digital citizenship conversation to stop at school. The instructional technology team has created a Digital Citizenship Family HUB to help parents carry on conversations at home. For each module given at school there is a document including talk talk conversation starters, a family challenge, and tips for creating family boundaries:

Kay Granger elementary is going to partner with families and offer a Digital Citizenship focused dinner this October to the first fifteen families to complete each module of the family HUB. The purpose of the dinner is to reflect on the Family HUB and have conversations centered around digital citizenship. It will be screen free dinner and a chance to bring all three parties together: Teachers, Students, and Families.

Explore the Digital Citizenship Curriculum, Access the Family HUB, and Learn More at digitalcitizenship.nisdtx.org 

Follow the Digital Citizenship journey on twitter with the #1toWorldPromise 

Credit to Common Sense Media as the instructional technology team uses and modifies their resources in the creation of our curriculum.

Robots to the Rescue! - A Virtual Tournament

 

COVID-19 forced many events to either be cancelled or postponed over this past year. The Northwest ISD Instructional Technology team did not want students to miss out on showcasing their learning as in the previous 9 years. This year, we got creative and hosted a virtual edition of EXPO 2021 with the fitting theme “Coming Together as One.” In conjunction with the traditional EXPO event, the past 3 years, we have hosted a face to face district wide robotics tournament sponsored by the Northwest Education Foundation. COVID also forced our tournament to be reinvented to a VIRTUAL robotics edition. 

With the goal of inspiring younger students to pursue engineering in high school, the competition challenges were developed in a pre-COVID world for the VEX and Mindstorm EV3 robots. The challenges were based on real life scenarios and were designed to be judged as a face-to-face tournament by the REACH Robotics teams at Eaton High School with their sponsor, Mr. William Gilbert. Ms. Rene Egle, an Instructional Technologist in Northwest ISD, who leads an annual TechnoCamp and the Robotics Competition at our district EXPO, took two months to tweak the format to a virtual robotics edition. This challenge was differentiated for the younger grades using the Ozobots and Dash robots.

Natalie Spann, Library Media Specialist, at Lance Thompson Elementary stated, "The whole process sets students up for success and discovery. It was truly inspiring to see student curiosity and wonder contribute to such amazingly authentic products and learning outcomes. We can’t wait for next year!"

"I really liked this years remote format to the robotics competition. The real world problem gave students connections to how robotics and STEM projects can prepare them for future careers. We had 3rd through 5th graders involved with three different robots. The format this year allowed me to observe teams and see our learners grow in their technical thinking. I also feel this process gave teams more time and depth to their teamwork skill development.  I do think the project had many layers outside of just building a robot. Students had to take notes and reflect on their thinking. Teams had to do lots of problem solving using coding to meet the set parameters of the challenge," said Sara Jones, Library Media Specialist at Justin Elementary. 

Katie Delgado, 3rd grade sponsor from Sendera Ranch Elementary stated, "It was so fun watching the team work together to problem solve and beat challenges.  I loved watching them cheer each other on."

The NISD IT team has gotten such good feedback from both the sponsors and students! They are loving the challenges and we will be repeating this format again next year.

The Houston Deluge tournament synopsis: Hurricane Gilbo has flooded Houston, downing power lines, stranding citizens, and littering the city with debris.  Robots are sent into this dangerous environment to clean up the mess, control the flood waters, and save the humans.   

This type of STEAM competition has inspired 75 teams both elementary and middle school students to learn coding, engineering, and collaborative problem-solving in a real-world disaster scenario. Other elements of the project include an engineering design website, self-scoring rubrics, peer evaluations, and judges interviews that transform this project into a cross-curricular STEAM challenge where students and learn future-ready skills, work with technology, and become more effective communicators in a rigorous and relevant student-driven project environment. 

Andy from the Sendera Ranch team stated, "While working on this project, I learned I am good at persevering because when I couldn't get this one pencil I kept trying and trying then, I finally got the pencil.  Another reason is that when the robot got stuck I finally got it free!"

Fourth grade students Karsyn and Kenly from Lance Thompson said, "What at fun experience, getting to know new people and figuring out how the technology works while making it your own." "This was a fun, and creative experience, deigning cityscapes, but also a challenging one, learning to build a robot; we learned that teamwork is the best way to succeed." 

"Robotics and the tasks of this tournament are profoundly challenging every step of the way, yet students love the rigor and enthusiastically seek out the knowledge they need to achieve mastery.  This is a STEAM education activity with higher level learning that combines with creativity!" said Mrs. Shelia Greene, PLTW educator, from Adams Middle School.   

“Robotics just may be the most perfect instructional approach currently available. It offers classroom activities that teach high-value STEM content as well as opportunities to powerfully address ELA Common Core Standards. In fact, there are connections to robotics across the full spectrum of the curriculum. Robotics is also a highly effective way to foster essential work skills like collaboration, problem solving and project management."  Mark Gura writes in a blog post from Edutopia

Campus entries for the virtual tournament were due May 7, 2021.  The REACH Robotics team from Eaton High School are in the process of judging all the videos and engineering design websites.  View NISD Post Here 

We would like to thank our awards sponsors again this year.  The Northwest ISD Education Foundation.