#CUERockStar Black Label Day 2: Hook, Line, and Sinker

Here is an avalanche of links to activities and resources all designed to draw kids in and make them love learning. This list will grow as we work today.

MrLosik.Blogspot.com - My Classroom Blog - Make A Flake, Lego, Zimmer Twins, Lots More

Flocabulary

Kahoot.it

Shark Tank

STREAM School

Iron Chef Lesson Design

Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips

Discovery Education Corporate Partnerships

Coverning Hawkeye Sports

Shooting Gallery

Genius Hour

Genius Bar

Curriculum Nest

CUE Rock Star Black Label TOSA Camp: Teaching Kids to Learn Like Pros

 

Here are links and resources for my Day 1 session at the CUE Rock Star Black Label TOSA Camp.

Why Wait? Teach Kids To Learn as Young Professionals and Transform any School Experience Now.


Jennifer Magiera: Power To The Pupil

Business Insider: Most Impressive High School Graduates

EdHeads.org - Design a Cell Phone

Ottawa Area ISD - Future Prep Skills 4 Success

Blog Post: SPEND A LITTLE TIME ON DESIGN…AND GAIN A LOT

Bentheim Elementary 5th Grade Production Company Logos

Creativity Apps


Keynote

Canva

Neu.Draw

Adobe Photo Shop Color Effects
Adobe Photo Shop Mix

Penultimate
Pixlr-o-matic
Pixlr Express

PegLight 2
BitDraw

OpenClipArt.org
SoftIcons.com

Genius Hour: Hamilton Community Schools Genius Hour

Genius Bar in Your Classroom 



 

 

#CUERockStar Admin Camp - An Inside Look

 

There is #CUERockStar Teacher Camp, but what is #CUERockStar Admin Camp? Check out this great look inside as shared by camp founder Jon Corippo.

Visit cuerockstar.org for camp dates and more information.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdvvG6AUosw&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

The CUE Rock Star Admin Hero's Journey is all about providing new, hands-on skills for administrators who desire to create a positive, disruptive process of change in their organizations. These will be three full, hard-working, challenging and rewarding days. The faculty and curriculum will deliver administrators (Assistant Principals, Principals, Curriculum Coordinators, Directors, Assistant Superintendents and Superintendents) the skills they need to lead their districts in more agile and adaptable ways.

Boiling Down What Makes #CUERockStar Rock

Check out Jon Corippo explaining why the CUE Rock Star model has proven so effective when it is so different from the typical educational conference or PD.

Jon Corippo - CUE Rock Star #BLC15 - YouTube.

#cuerockstar Teach Wild Resources

We had a great adventures at Rock Star Saugatuck and Rock Star MASSCUE playing "Oh Deer", crossing the Kalamazoo River on the only operating hand-crank chain ferry in the U.S., and climbing Mt. Baldhead's 302 steps, and digging into the Google Cultural Institute. Better yet were the great conversations we had about effectively bringing nature into your curriculum and taking kids out into it. Here are resource links.

Project Wild - Find more information on the program and link to trainings and curriculum
Project Wild and Project Aquatic materials listed on eBay.

The Nature Connection by Clare Walker Leslie



 

Easel.ly - Great infographic maker

Canva - Create beautiful graphics to show findings.

Google Cultural Institute - Take students to museums all over the world and have them create collections of the ways animals have been portrayed in art over the years.

Trimble Sketchup - Have your students build their own Mt. Baldy steps or recreate structures you discover with them. It's as real as math gets.

Walkmeter App

GPS Altimeter App

BirdCaller App

Leaf Snap

[caption id="attachment_1086" align="alignleft" width="717"] On top of Mt. Baldhead, all covered in S.T.E.A.M.[/caption]

#cuerockstar Shoot Like a Pro

Shoot like a pro!

Here are 19 different camera techniques for producing professional quality video productions with whatever device you have. Learning these or teaching them to students will greatly improve the quality of video that is produced. Once you see them, you can't help but use them.

Watch this presentation to see examples of each. You will be asked to take each of these shots on your own and put them together in your own "Shooting Gallery".

REMEMBER THESE ARE 5-10 SECOND VIDEO SHOTS, NOT PHOTOS.

Download the shot sheet here.

Minarets Shooting Gallery Level One from Minarets High SchoolBelow is one of the finished products 5th Graders at Bentheim Elementary completed. Watch it to see the shots in action but make yours original.
Anti-Gravity Shooting Gallery from Andy Losik on Vimeo.More creativity resources for your projects.

Scary Mary and Shining, A Romantic Comedy show the power of Music.



What will you create?

If you can't build it in Keynote, you don't need it. - #cuerockstar Links

Here are the resources and links from Day 1 of CUE Rock Star Saugatuck hosted by MACUL.

Giphy
EZGif.com

National Archives
Archive.org
flick.com/commons
How to search for copyright-free images in Google
Pixabay
Copyright Friendly Wikispaces
PhotosForClass.com

 

Animated Text Cut-out Tutorial
Apple Preview Tips and Tricks

A Whole Lot of Outdoor Learning Coming to Saugatuck

Here are my Saugatuck Rock Star sessions and 2/3 of them will be led outdoors. Day 1 is all about tricking out Apple's Keynote, but Days 2 and 3 are about taking advantage of learning in one of Michigan's coolest little town.

Day 1: If you can't build it in Keynote, you don't need it.
The antidote to torturous presentations lies in Apple’s Keynote. Now free and online to anyone with a web browser, Keynote can make presentation slides, but excels when you let your creativity run wild. It is the ultimate app smasher because what you build in Keynote can enhance just about any creative project. Build infographics, animate, create high-end layered videos, and blow stuff up in this, “Hey, howdya do that?” kind of session.

Day 2: On Top of Mt. Baldy All Covered in STEAM
Bring your athletic shoes and sense of adventure as we head down the hill and across the river to the 302 steps of Mount Baldhead. Along the way we will stop to play some Project Wild games, use the sensors built into your smart phones, and explore a fragile dune ecosystem.

Day 3: Shooting Around Town

Discover practical ways to build high end photography and video skills in you and your students as we explore the target rich environment of the Saugatuck area. Within two hours you will learn simple to lead activities and editing techniques that will boost your confidence and creative abilities.

Check out the rest of the offerings at the camp sessions page.

Register at cue.org/regrockstar.

Rock Star Saugatuck Registration Closes July 1

Make "Sign up for Rock Star Saugatuck" the first thing you cross off of today's to-do list.

We have room for 34 more attendees so gather up your colleagues and get registered before the July 1 deadline arrives. Consistently groups of teachers find that three days of Rock Star give them an amazing leg up on kicking off the coming school year with great ideas and energy. Check out the three days of sessions listed on the Rock Star Saugatuck page. Don't miss this great joint venture between CUE and MACUL.

Register at cue.org/regrockstar.

How to Shred - #cuerockstar

Not many workshops, camps, or conferences offer anything like Rock Star Shred Sessions. Each morning after everybody grabs some caffeine and sugar, Rock Star faculty "sing for their suppers" previewing their sessions but more importantly giving attendees a chance to find the best fit for what they want to learn and who they want to lead them in their exploration.

How to Shred - YouTube.

Pharrell Williams, the essence of professional development, and #cuerockstar

"Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places if you look at it right." ~ The Grateful Dead "Scarlet Begonias"

Last night while watching The Voice on NBC, I witnessed a couple of special minutes. After 17 year-old Bryce Sherlow's audition didn't make the cut, she graciously accepted the feedback and encouragement from the celebrity judges. When Bryce mentioned to Pharrell Williams that she had sung his hit "Happy" at the a cappella nationals, he asked her to sing a little.

"Get up there and sing it with her," instructed fellow judge Christina Aguilera...and he did.



This is the essence of what professional learning should be. Pharrell the mega star gave this young start-up a thrill of a lifetime by leaving his pedestal and putting himself on the same level as her. By him taking a step down so to speak, he lifted her up. The good educational presenters do that. They may have tens of thousands or Twitter followers and receive thousands per day from school districts to present, but to have lasting impact they have to meet their workshop attendees on a common level. That is how you move the craft of teaching forward. That is how you inspire the next wave to join you in moving the craft of teaching forward. That is also how any teacher inspires and moves their students forward.

The "Faculty members aren't the rock stars. Attendees are the rock stars." mantra of the CUE Rock Star Teacher Camps is the core value that has made them so impactful and why people attend multiple camps each year. It is why I have gotten so involved with them. When I watched Pharrell get on stage, I told my wife, "That is Rock Star to a tee. That is exactly what it is all about."

 

Check out all of the #cuerockstar Saugatuck awesomeness presenting at #MACUL15

We said last year that Rock Star Saugatuck Teacher Camp was all about launching the awesomeness within all of our attendees. On Day 1 last summer many were quietly questioning themselves as to whether they had bitten off more than they could chew. By the end of Day 3 we all were listening to and witnessing amazing transformations in so many of them. It wasn't that they had attended some magical session. They realized that they do indeed have a lot of insight into powerful teaching and a lot to share. Now six months later, 1/6 of Saugatuck campers are presenting at this year's big MACUL conference in Detroit from March 18-20.

Check out the great list of sessions below from last year's attendees and faculty. Then visit cuerockstar.org to register for this summer's July 7-9 camp presented by MACUL and Saugatuck Public Schools.

Thursday

8:00-10:00
Explore the Power of iPhoto - Dave Tchozewski (hands-on session, additional charge)

10:00-11:00
Blogging, It's Elementary - Heidi Gascon
Make a Presentation that will Wow your Students - Nicole Bauman, AnnMarie Willette

10:30-12:30
Creating Digital Books with iTunes Author - Dave Tchozewski (hands-on session, additional charge)

1:00-2:00
If you're Appy and you Know it, Come Smash with Us - Kristen Gavlas, Johnna Kline
Collaborate and Connect with Google Apps and Drive - Heidi Gascon
Inquiring Minds want to Know - Erin Mastin

2:30-3:30
These ARE the Droids you are Looking For - Andy Losik
Bring a new Dimension to Learning with Augmented Reality - Drew Minock
Going Paperless with Google - Kevin Kacel, Sam Sicilia

3:30-5:30
Create and Innovate with iTunes U - Rebecca Wildman (hands-on session, additional charge)

4:00-5:00
Beyond Paper and Pencil: Supporting Writing with Technology - Heidi Gascon, Stacey Schuh
No Tech to Lots of Tech - Keith Tramper
Student Data and Information Privacy in the App Era: A Panel Conversation - featuring Ben Rimes

Friday

8:00-10:00
If you can't Build it in Keynote, you don't Need It - Andy Losik (hands-on session, additional charge)

8:30-9:30
Needle in a Haystack: Internet Search Tips and Tricks - Colleen Robison
It Takes just a S.E.C. - Leveraging Schoology, Edmodo, or Classroom to Engage Learning - Nicole Bauman, AnnMarie Willette

10:00-11:00
Inspire Innovation by Fostering Collaboration and Creativity - Drew Minock
Teach Like a Transformer - Keith Tramper

10:30-12:30
Engage English Language Learners through Technology - Cheryl Prindle (hands-on session, additional charge)

11:30-12:30
Revitalizing Research in the Digital Age - Katie Aquino
The iPad's Killer App - Ben Rimes

1:00-2:00
Why Connect as an Educator? - Erin Mastin
Engage your Students with Free Web Tools - Dave Tchozewski
I've got a Brain to Pick with You - Jennifer Gwilt
The Battle for your Class: Google Classroom vs. Edmodo - Josh Hubbard

2:30-3:30
Closing Keynote: Culture, Innovation, and Learning: A 21st Century Paradigm Shift - Drew Minock

Wow! After the opening keynote you can do the whole conference front to back and you've got Rock Stars leading every time slot.

See you in Detroit. See you in Saugatuck this summer.

Hey Michigan, #cuerockstar's Back!

Last year was so awesome, we couldn't not do it again this year!

CUE and MACUL are two of the premiere organizations in the US for promoting the integration of technology in the classroom and are teaming up for Act II of the Rock Star Teacher Camp experience.

For these three days, the attendees are the Rock Stars and the presenters are just the lucky folks who get to help facilitate amazing collaboration and learning.

​

CUE Rock Star Saugatuck presented by MACUL will take place this summer at Saugatuck Middle School from July 7th to the 9th.

Check out cuerockstar.org to register or apply for a faculty spot. Deadline for faculty applications is on Feb. 22. Faculty receive complimentary registration and lodging. If you are applying, please do not register. We will save room for you if you are not selected and you may pay your registration later.

This year's camp will follow much of the same format that last year's did. Lots of learning. Lots of fun. Treating teachers like they've never been treated.

We really hope you'll consider being a part of this experience and will bring lots of friends.

Check out the Session Listings for #CUERockStar Camp Melbourne, FL

Get yourself some sun this winter and soak up some amazing professional development as well.

Check out the sessions now listed for Rock Star Florida

January 17-19, 2015

Stone Magnet Middle School, 1101 E University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901

Day 1 - Microsoft, Google, and Apple

Day 2 - STEAM

Day 3 - Digital Pedagogies

All CUE Rock Star Teacher Camps are purposely designed and focused small group events that have three items in common:

Hands-On Learning

All three days consist of two, two-hour sessions allowing attendees to "dig in deep" and really get to know their topic and build resources to use next year.  Morning sessions are repeated in the afternoon so that attendees have two different opportunities to attend a workshop.

Small Presenter to Attendee Ratios

CUE Rock Star events are built so that there is one presenter for every ten attendees and the events sell out at 60-70 attendees.  This allows participants to get hands-on support and learn directly from knowledgeable educators. The amazing Faculty is there to support YOU, the real rock stars. CUE Rock Star Melbourne has an all-star cast of presenters, but the staff isn't who these events are about. The attendees are the real rock stars and contribute to the magic these camps produce. These three days focus on bringing out the best of all in attendance and launching a new crop of edtech leaders.

Time for Collaboration and Networking

We purposely start late, end early, and take extended lunches so that all attendees have ample opportunities to collaborate and network as part of learning community.

Lodging Information:

View this map for several hotels in the area. CUE is not endorsing or recommending any particular hotel; this is intended for informational purposes only.

Daily Schedule:

9:00      Coffee

9:30      Shred Sessions

10:00    Session 1

12:00    Lunch/Networking

2:00      Session 2

4:00      Closing

Registration and more details at  CUE Rock Star Camp Melbourne, FL.

Winter will suck. #CUErockstar Florida will not suck.

We are taking #CUErockstar back to the beach...but keeping it in the Eastern Time Zone. Rock Star Teacher Camp Melbourne, Florida will take place from January 17-19 at Stone Magnet Middle School just a few blocks from the Atlantic beaches.


I had a blast coordinating Rock Star Saugatuck last summer and am tickled to be the lead learner for this Southeastern version of the best professional development on the planet.

Two guys we are proud to announce as faculty for this extravaganza are Rushton Hurley and John Sowash. Both are immensely talented at working with small groups of learners and have literally traveled the world sharing their knowledge.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="229"] Rushton Hurley[/caption]

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="385"] John Sowash and Family[/caption]

We are accepting applications for additional faculty through November 1 and encourage educators ready to take the next step in their career as a facilitator or presenter to the next level. Apply now.

Conference Format

All CUE Rock Star Teacher Camps are purposely designed, focused, small group everts that have three items in common:
Hands-On Learning Sessions 
All three days consist of two, two-hour sessions allowing attendees to "dig in deep" and really get to know their topic and build resources to use next year. Morning sessions are repeated in the afternoon so that attendees have two different opportunities to attend a workshop.
Small Presenter to Attendee Ratios
CUE Rock Star events are built so that there is one presenter for every ten attendees, and the events sell out at 60-70 attendees. This allows participants to get hands-on support and learn directly from knowledgeable educators.
Time for Collaboration and Networking
We purposely start late, end early, and take extended lunches so that all attendees have ample opportunities to collaborate and network as part of a learning community.

Daily Schedule:
9:00 Coffee - Pastries (provided)
9:30 Shred Sessions
10:00 Hands-on Session 1
12:00 Lunch (provided) / Networking
2:00 Hands-on Session 2 (complete with ice cream break)
4:00 Closing

My mantra for organizing and leading events like Rock Star Teacher Camp is simple: "Treat teachers like they have never been treated before." Feedback from Saugatuck attendees was that we knocked that out of the park. I will personally guarantee that will happen for this one as well.

Winter will be here all too quickly and it is going to suck. Book your trip to escape it in Florida now...and experience amazing professional learning along the way.

Register now.

#CUERockStar Teacher Camp Florida - January 2015

Last winter sucked. This winter is going to suck. CUE Rock Star Teacher Camp Melbourne, Florida will not.

Join me for three full days of learning rom January 17th to the 19th at Melbourne's Stone Magnet Middle School, just blocks from the Intercoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean as the wildly successful teacher learning franchise ventures outside of California once again.

Rock Star Camps are all about building relationships and collaborating. Each is capped at 100 attendees and 10 faculty to preserve a 10:1 ratio.

The day starts with 2 minute shred sessions where presenters do their best to convince attendees to come to their offerings.  Then we go right into a 2 hour hands-on morning ses
sion followed by a 2 hour lunch. Yes, a 2 hour lunch. The day wraps with an afternoon round of 2 hour sessions. Each of the three days will have a different focus like Google Apps, multimedia production, and digital pedagogy.

Register or apply to serve as faculty at the link below. Faculty receive free registration and lodging.

CUE Rock Star Teacher Camps | CUE.

Tailor reading level for student Google searches

I just saw a great tweet from Tara Becker-Utess.

My start at collecting tech resources for struggling learners. Adjusting google search by reading level. http://t.co/qkukbRu3MJ #miched

— Tara Becker-Utess (@t_becker10) August 22, 2014

Tara is building upon an idea that Tammy Lind presented at Best of MACUL presents CUE Rock Star this summer in Saugatuck. The cool thing about most techniques designed for struggling learners is that almost anyone can benefit from them. Tara and Tammy inspired me to lay out the quick and easy steps that allow students to search by reading level. This will come in hugely handy this year as I teach my elementary students to formulate effective searches.

Here you go.

1. After performing a Google Search, click on Search Tools


2. Next click on reading level
   


3. Choose the reading level. In my example I am simulating third graders doing African animal reports. I will ask them to click "Basic" and this will return only results that are the easiest to read.
   

These three clicks can greatly tailor the types of search results students receive, making the experience more useful for everyone.

Here is more great stuff from Tammy's ISTE 14 presentation on this very topic.

Hangin' with #2GuysShow, Havin' a Daqri, Talkin' #CUERockStar

Great stuff from Drew and Brad as they discuss Augmented Reality creation through Daqri.

I jumped in at the end to talk about #CUERockstar Saugatuck coming up in July as well as a bunch of other awesome things like this performance from Pearl Jam.


Catch the 2 Guys Show every Tuesday night at 9:00 PM EDT.

Best of MACUL presents #CueRockStar Saugatuck Updates

A lot of progress has been made on this summer's CUE Rock Star Camp Saugatuck  since we first announced it back in February.

We have assembled an absolute All-Star faculty made up of several Apple Distinguished Educators, Google Certified Teachers, a recent tech director of the year, the current MACUL Tech Educator of the Year, and California's "Oustanding Emerging Teacher" for 2014. Not only are these people "kind of a big deal" in the educational technology world, they were all hand selected because they possess the uncanny ability to work with teachers in a fun way.

We have also begun to solidify what will be offered each day. Check out our growing list of sessions to see the wide variety of offerings.

The Rock Star format is all about allowing attendees to build relationships and have tons of fun. Here is our daily schedule.

Daily Schedule:

9:00      Coffee

9:30      Shred Sessions - Presenters hype their daily sessions

10:00    Session 1 - Hands on learning

12:00    Lunch/Networking

2:00      Session 2 (with ice cream break) - Hands on learning

4:00      Closing

Optional "After party" - Cut loose with your fellow Rock Stars for a couple of evening excursions to the Saugatuck Dune Rides and Fenn Valley Winery.

Camp will be held on July 23-25th at Douglas Elementary and Hamilton High School.

So...I am hoping lots of our local educators will take advantage of this professional learning opportunity. Register today at cue.org/rscamp.

2 Guys Show: Jon Corippo talks all things CUE Rock Star Teacher Camp

The founder of CUE Rock Star Jon Corippo hung out with Drew Minock and Brad Waid on the 2 Guys Show Tuesday night and talked about the evolution of one of the coolest professional development franchises ever. Jon will be here in West Michigan this summer co-directing Rock Star Teacher Camp Saugatuck with me.

Jon and I connected in 2011 when we became Apple Distinguished Educators in Arizona. We've been friends and even co-presenters ever since and it's been all leading up to this summer adventure we are hosting.

Get the inside story on Rock Star and  a little glimpse into what is coming to Saugatuck in July.