#InnEDCO19 Day 2 Reflections

Day 2 at InnEdCO19! Keeping with my organization for yesterday's post, I decided to reflect upon the themes of instructional strategies, new tech tools, and questions I'm thinking about. I want to note that I intentionally put instructional strategies before tech tools. I do this because I think these to be the most helpful, equity-focused information to be gained at InnEdCO. Not every school, teacher, district, etc has access to an increasingly long list of paid tools. However, they do have access to strong instructional strategies and good pedagogy that they can incorporate using whatever tools they already have access to in their classroom. 
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Instructional Strategies

Quote Cards
Instead of the usual discussion board after a reading, consider having students create quote cards to contribute to the discussion board. They can serve as visual conversation starters AND serve as a source of powerful quotes from that text when students have to find evidence for their writing.

Collaborative Annotation
Using a tool like Hypothes.is, Scrible, or just Google Docs, students can all annotate the same source of text - generating more learning and deeper conversation. This makes reading a social activity, with opportunities for students to gain insight and support from their peers. Have a class of ELLs? Students can comment on words they know or check to see if their interpretation of a statement is correct. Students don't have to wait until the end of an article to receive feedback from their peers, allowing them to more fully engage in the article.
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Curation, Remixing, and Parody as Production
​Using just about any platform, how can we provide students the opportunity to curate articles, videos, podcasts, etc? I think about how I used to curate YouTube playlists as support for my AP Calc students. Even though students might not be making the original content, the gathering of materials is a kind of production in and of itself, requiring a keen eye and critical thinking skills. I also think about how students can remix or create a parody of existing content in a way that demonstrates deep understanding and analysis of the original source materials. I think about my love of the podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer and how the song at the end of each episode demonstrates deep understanding of the Buffy Universe. 
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Top New Tech Tools

Check Mark Extension
Providing feedback to students on a Google Doc? Tired of copying and pasting the same feedback over and over again? Check Mark Extension stores your most common feedback, sorted by class so you can easily use it when examining student work.

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Anchor
I've been wanting to play with Anchor for a while - this podcasting tool add a social element to podcasts that didn't previously exist. Since I'm a total podcast junkie (previous blog post here), I think it's time that I dig in and finally use this application for its full potential power.

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Questions I'm thinking About

How have we let this happen to education? How do we change it through instruction? Policy? Systemic overhaul? #InnEdCO19 https://t.co/qzOyFrdIzX

— Mattea Garcia (@MatteaGarcia) June 11, 2019

How do we have students create products of learning that generate even more learning? Such a great way to think about what learning is all about! Thought-provoking call to action from the keynote by @ajjuliani #InnEdCO19

— Mattea Garcia (@MatteaGarcia) June 11, 2019

Can asking students to create non-written representations of learning be both innovative AND culturally responsive? One of the most powerful characteristics of tech is the opportunity to use it as a means for working toward equity. #innedco19

— Mattea Garcia (@MatteaGarcia) June 11, 2019

Wish I knew who gave me this insight today - sharing here so I can find out who it was and give credit. One challenge of teachers thinking of students as creators/producers is that teachers are used to being consumers of curriculum and not producers themselves. #innedco19 pic.twitter.com/nDiDYpj3sM

— Mattea Garcia (@MatteaGarcia) June 11, 2019

I always enjoy engaging in conversations around these important questions, especially on how we use technology as a means for pursuing equity. It's how I experience the most growth as an educator. Thanks to everyone who inspired me today!!!

​If you're at InnEdCO and interested in talking more about Equity in Edtech, be sure to check out my session Thursday morning at 9:00. Hope to see you there!