This week we attended the annual UCET conference. This conference allows educators from across Utah to learn and share their examples of technology integration in the classroom. Jared was the "man on the street" as he was able to talk with conference goers, both new and experienced, to find out what they learned at this year's UCET.
This week we attended the annual UCET conference. This conference allows educators from across Utah to learn and share their examples of technology integration in the classroom. Jared was the "man on the street" as he was able to talk with conference goers, both new and experienced, to find out what they learned at this year's UCET.
Well, Dani. Guess what I saw on the way into recording today?
What did you see?
I saw birds chirping. I heard bees humming.
Oh yeah? Are they ready to get snowed on again? Because that's what's going to happen.
There is no way it's going to snow again.
You want to make a bet?
I have put my shovel away for the season.
Well, you may not need your shovel again. But we-- it's going to snow again. We get spring snow here every year. Just when you get your hopes up, doom and gloom.
Dani, I believe hope springs eternal.
[GIGGLING] You would.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
All right, Jared. Well, it's March. And so while for you, that means spring, and for me that means extended winter, what it usually means for all teachers in Utah is the UCET conference.
That's true. UCET is definitely a rite of spring. And it happens every March.
Or winter, however you want to look at it. But yeah, it's one of-- two of the best days of every year for me. How long have you been going to UCET, Jared?
So I started going to UCET in 2003.
OK.
And the first time that I went, it was an assignment for a class I was in.
OK.
I didn't know what to expect, but I loved it. And I've been going ever since.
That's fabulous. So, I started going in 2009. So it was my 10 year anniversary!
Good for you. Hey, that was a high five--
Yeah, virtual high five. And I love it. I think it's so great. I love connecting with teachers that sometimes that's the only time I get to see them.
I had a former student there at UCET. So it was awesome. It's such a great experience.
Now, for those of you who don't know what UCET is, in case there are some novices in the listening audience out there, it is a statewide technology conference. UCET actually stands for--
The Utah Coalition for Educational Technology.
Dani gets a gold star for that one. That's a mouthful. And it's an organization that tries to bring together educators and administrators and students from across the state of Utah to help them see resources about integrating technology into the classroom.
Yeah. And edtech coaches. We can't forget our edtech coaches. But yeah. If you're in Utah, or if you're outside of Utah, check out you UCET.org more information.
We had some awesome educators there from Maryland. Last year we had-- it was in an international conference, Jared. We had some Canadian teachers there. It was fabulous!
This is true. It's blowing up. People from all across the 41 counties of Utah were there.
Beaver, Carbon, Davis, Morgan. Just kidding. I won't bore you.
So Dani, one of the things that I've done for the last few years is I've tried to go around and be the man on the street. Or in this case, the man inside the conference center.
OK. And what do you do?
So I go up to random people, and I ask them about their experience at the conference.
Oh, was it awesome? Was it fun?
It's always fun to meet new friends. And we interview a few old friends as well. And to hear some of the things that they're taking away from the conference.
That's awesome.
So would you like to hear that?
I would love to hear that.
Well, let's turn it over to the people at UCET.
OK.
So I'm here with Robert Adamson from Alpine School District. Robert, why don't you introduce yourself by telling us where you teach and what you teach?
OK. I'm a chemistry teacher, American Fork High School. I've taught for about 10 years. I teach AP chem. And I do a couple concurrent enrollment classes with UVU. And yeah, I really enjoyed it.
That's the 5A State basketball champion American Fork Cavemen, isn't it?
Absolutely. Go, Cavemen.
So we're talking a little bit about your experience yesterday at the UCET conference. Maybe share with us one of your takeaways from the sessions you attended.
I attended a session yesterday morning. It had to do with design in the classroom. And what was really kind of impactful for me was we were taught how to put ourselves in the perspective of a student and analyze what his needs were, what his life was like-- or her. And as we we'd run through these exercises, we could then orient our teaching or our assessments or our assignments in a way that would match their needs and match their actual life experiences. So--
You know, that's great to hear about, especially because a lot of people, when they think of UCET, they just think about it being a technology conference. But that clearly sounds more like a pedagogical framework there.
Yeah. And that's what I was kind of looking for as a teacher. There's a lot of really good stuff here on presenting platforms for assessments and an online support, online activities. But for me, I was looking for a way to kind of implement more than just the technology in the classroom, but actually make it accessible to my students. And that breakout session was really good for me. So--
Perfect. Thanks for sharing.
You bet.
So, I'm here with Megan Jenkins from Provo School District. Megan, you're on the UCET board. Can you tell us a little bit about what you like about participating in this conference?
That I get to learn lots of new things and meet lots of interesting people from around the state.
And how is your participant being kind of behind the scenes on the board?
It's really cool to see how things work. It is definitely a challenge to prepare for this conference. But it's been really exciting to see things come together and to be able to meet the needs of teachers in different ways.
So I'm following behind Kimberly Miller from Tooele School District. Kim, you were a big winner of a prize today at the UCET conference. Tell us what you just won.
I can't even say it. Chibi lights?
So that's kind of an LED circuit. So what-- do you have a maker space that you're working on?
No. I just have micro bits I want to add them to.
So tell us what you're doing with those micro bits.
Well, I'm figuring that out. That's why I came here today.
Yeah. Kind of fun. So you're looking for ways that you can get kids kind of programming or coding a little bit?
Yep. And then I want them to make their own project or go find something.
So the UCET conference is how you're trying to get some new ideas to do some of that?
Yep. I'm really excited. Because I want these. Yay!
You're a big winner. So I'm here with Jim Wilson from Canyons School District. Jim, tell us a little bit about what you think about coming to the UCET conference.
It's just a good opportunity to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tech and all of the ways that teachers can use it. And since I focus on libraries, it's a good way for being able to collaborate with teachers and librarians and take some things back to my district.
Now this is a big week, because you not only have UCET, but you also have [? UOMA ?] this week. So tell us maybe how you like being part of both of those communities.
[? UOMA ?] is definitely more library focused, where UCET is a little bit broader in that it addresses, I think educators and teachers from all parts of the school. So that's why it's a good variation and a good way to-- good reason to go to both.
Yeah, kind of a nice mix. Well, thanks.
So we're here from the UCET conference, getting ready for the day. And I'm with a new friend. Friend, you introduce yourself to our audience?
My name's Jade Weinheimer.
And Jade, what school do you teach at?
I teach at Oquirrh Hills Middle School.
Can you tell me-- you're here at the UCET conference. Can you tell me what you're looking forward to today?
I'm looking for new strategies to help engage students and to help develop skills in those students that are tailored to our more progressive and technologically advanced society.
Wonderful. Any sessions standing out to you that you've looked at?
I'm just going over my schedule now. And I'm interested in analyzing student data in order to like, optimize learning and to know the true needs of my students and to know what's working and not working about my instruction so that I can change it accordingly.
So I'm here with Edward Potts from this Park City School District. Edward, why don't you introduce yourself by telling us what school you work at?
Sure. I work at Park City High School. I'm the instructional coach there. And I taught English there for 17 years.
And tell me a little bit about your experience yesterday at UCET. What were some of your big takeaways?
Yesterday, I thought the keynote speaker to kind of kicked the session off was great-- like, really kind of charged up me at least, just kind of thinking about changing school culture. And so I kind of took that lens throughout the day. I know that our school is kind of working on that. So it's kind of fun to try to go to all these different breakout sessions with the idea of how might-- how this might help change our school's culture.
So I'm here with Michelle Reid from the Alpine School District. Michelle, why don't you introduce yourself by telling us what school you work at and what grade you teach.
I work at Windsor Elementary and I teach fifth grade.
And tell me about your UCET experience. Is this your first time at the conference, or have you been before?
This is my first time.
So, new conference. Tell me what was your first impressions of the conference.
I thought they started it off really well. The keynote speaker was very inspirational and had a lot of really great things to say.
And then you started attending sessions. Were there any big takeaways that you had after that?
I think the biggest thing is that there are more resources than I knew that there were. And there are lots of different ways to help the children.
Were there any specific classes that you went to that you think people should know about?
In one of the poster sessions, a lady talked about how her whole entire school uses ClassDojo as a classroom management technique. And so they have every single teacher and every single aide in the entire school has access to every single student in the entire school, which means that for-- if you ever do like, science rotations or like flex time or even on the playground, just like any time that the kids are going to be with the teacher other than yourself, other teachers can step in and help manage the kids. And she said that it was a really unifying experience having a school-wide classroom management plan. And I thought that that sounded very cool.
I love that idea. Thanks for sharing that.
So I'm here with Joby. Joby, why don't you take a second introduce yourself to our audience.
Good morning. My name's Joby Wright. I am the director of SEDC, which is a regional service center down in Cedar City.
And Joby, this is your first time attending the UCET conference. Can you tell me a little bit about what you're looking forward to today?
Well, I'm really looking forward to the variety of topics that they have on the schedule. There's people from all over the state presenting all different kinds of edtech information and a ton of vendors here that we can learn more about their products.
I'm with some new friends at the UCET conference. Friends, will you introduce yourself to our audience?
Yes, my name's Krista Gibbons.
Brianna Girard.
Will you tell us where you teach?
I teach at West Jordan Middle School.
I teach there as well.
West Jordan Middle School is represented.
Yes, it is.
[INAUDIBLE]
Is this your first UCET conference, or have you been in the past?
No, this is my first one.
But I am a newbie. Yeah.
Exciting. So tell me what you're looking forward to today at the conference.
Oh, learning new technology skills that I can actually apply in the classroom. I love using technology with kids. I mean, think about it. Technology is only technology if it's new.
And a lot of the stuff really isn't new to the kids, technology-wise but educational tools are. So I'm looking forward to finding new ones that I can apply in the classroom that will help bring out you know, their learning in a better way.
Well, it can't be that. [GIGGLING] Well, I teach science. I noticed a couple of science ones. So, but no. I'm excited to add to my teacher toolbox as well.
So let's meet some more friends from Alpine. Friends, will you introduce yourselves?
And I am Sir Jeff Mortenson. I'm an innovative learning coach for Alpine.
Don't know whether I should bow right now for the Master Lord. Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your experience coming to UCET today.
I didn't give you permission to speak, peasant. But I'll answer your question. I'm here. So this is my second time at UCET.
And I didn't really know what to expect last year. But just seeing presenters from across the state showing how they're using these tools in their classrooms has been really beneficial for me. This year I've been able to share a lot of what I learned last year at UCET with the teachers that I coach. So I'm just here for more of that good stuff, just seeing the innovative ideas that the teachers have, and the presenters here. And I'm also presenting tomorrow and how to find content online without stealing it.
So I'm here with Jacqueline [? Bodhi. ?] Jacqueline, why don't you take a second introduce yourself. Tell us what school and school district you're from.
I work for Granite District at in NES for [? YIC ?] School at Decker Lake Youth Center.
And yesterday you were at the conference. Can you tell us what was some of your takeaways from yesterday?
I really enjoyed the keynote speaker. I thought he was fascinating. Having come from a small town and having parents-- both of my parents be teachers, I really appreciated how he garners the support of his community, of the students, and supports his teachers. I thought that was fascinating.
I also attended a Nearpod training, which-- it was the panel discussion. And I like the way that they can use that technology to get 100% participation and-- among their students. And it was really fascinating-- all the different districts-- how they use that product to bring in maybe some of their resistant teachers. So I'm really excited about trying to get that going in our school.
So I'm here with Johnnie Morgart. Johnnie you were here yesterday at the conference. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience? And will you introduce yourself as far as what school you work at?
Hi. I'm Johnnie Morgart. I work at Mid Valley Elementary School. I teach fourth grade. Canyons School District.
My big takeaway from yesterday at the UCET 2019 conference was how to integrate more technology into my science lessons, particularly regarding augmented reality. I went to the Apple augmented reality presentation. And we got to work with a few different apps that let me dissect frogs, go and see what the heart looks like in the body, and then pair it with an Apple device so I could see different participants actual heartbeats. And we got to go on field trips to see famous works of art and get really close, so you could even see the brushstrokes. And I think that that's going to be an awesome resource for my students to be able to see things that they would never get to see before, and experience science in a way that they might never get to with where they're at.
Love it. Thank you for sharing that.
So I'm here with William Shoemaker from Alpine School District. William, what school do you teach at?
Freedom Elementary.
And you've been a UCET regular for the past several years. Maybe tell us what one of your big takeaways was from day one.
So I think a lot of it has to do with coming back to the kids. Everything that we do, all the technology that we incorporate comes back to moving kids forward in a successful way. And, go crickets.
Were there any particular sessions that you liked?
Well, I spent a lot of time up in the poster board room, and just stopping at each of those. I like the capability of just stopping for a minute and getting some ideas and then going. And then I had a meeting that I had to go to in the afternoon. So I wasn't able to attend the afternoon.
Those darn meetings always interrupting our learning.
I know, right?
But the posters were new this year. So that was one of your favorites?
Yeah, that was really good. I really appreciated the fact that it was kind of like the playground, mixed with a little bit of teaching that goes on in there. So it's good.
Thanks.
Yep.
So I'm here with Mandy Young and Greg Crockett from the Nebo School District. Why don't you introduce yourself by position and what schools you work with?
All right. My name is Mandy Young, like you already mentioned. I am a digital coach. And I am at Diamond Ford Junior High and Spanish Fork-- or Springville High School. Sorry.
Go Red Devils.
All right. As Jared said, I'm Greg Crockett. I work at Park Elementary, Barnett Elementary, Salem Elementary, and Mt. Loafer Elementary.
Now, both of you have come to UCET in the past. Maybe Mandy, why don't you share with us what's one of the big things that you like about coming to UCET?
I get to connect with so many fun people. And I get so many great ideas and resources that I can take back to the classroom. It's awesome. I love it.
Were there any new resources that you learned about yesterday?
Yeah. The one that comes to my mind first were the digital notebooks using Google Slides. That was pretty fun times. Yeah.
And Greg, what about you? What do you like about coming to UCET?
So when I first started coming, I really enjoyed the different tools and things that you could use in the classroom. In the past couple years though, it's about the networking. Who can you talk to so that later on when you need-- have questions, need to talk to people, they've got answers for you to be able to contact them.
All right. Well, thank you two. Have a great day at UCET.
So I'm here with Michelle Hanson from the Granite School District.
Michelle, what school are you from?
I'm from Hillsdale Elementary.
And what grade level do you teach?
I'm actually this school technology specialist.
So you're one of the coaches there. So you help the teachers. So you've probably come to UCET in the past and had some experience at the conference. Tell me what are you looking forward to today at the conference?
One of the things that I really wanted to see was the keynote speaker, the one about humor, because I think we need to have a little bit more humor in education because it's pretty dismal sometimes. But if we can have humor, it makes it a lot easier to deal with.
So we're open to get some smiles today?
Yes.
So I'm here with Suzanne Harris from the Canyons School District. Suzanne, why don't you remind us what school you work at.
I'm at edtech coach for Canyon School District. So I have four schools that I go to, Draper, Edgemont, Mid Valley, and Copper View.
So you're all over the place?
I'm all over the place.
And I know you're a longtime UCET attendee. Tell us maybe some of the things that you got out of yesterday's day one of the conference.
You know, it was fun to learn more about Canvas and HTML and how to personalize your Canvas page. That was one of the interesting things I took away.
So we're here with our next guest. Will you introduce yourself for us?
Yeah. My name is John Wilder. I teach at Independence High School here in Provo.
So John, is this your first UCET you have attended?
Yes.
Can you tell me what you're looking forward to today?
I'm just looking for new ideas about how to improve my classroom and how to make it more interactive for my students.
So we're here with another friend from the UCET conference. Friend, introduce yourself to our audience.
Hi. My name is Mike Glenn.
And Mike, remind me where you're the principal?
I'm the principal of the new middle school in South Jordan that has yet to be named.
Ooh, the school yet to be named. That's very exciting. And Mike, I know you've attended UCET before. Tell me a little bit about what you're excited about for this year.
You know, I always look for different engaging strategies that we can bring in to just supplement what our teachers are already doing. so tools that they can use in their classroom to get kids excited about whatever subjects they're teaching.
So, we're here with Ammon. Ammon, why don't you introduce yourself to our listening audience.
I'm Ammon Weimers from Jordan School District.
And Ammon, I know you've attended UCET in the past. Maybe tell everybody what your experience has been like coming to this conference.
You know, it's always good to see what teachers are-- so we have a lot of different technology products. But the implementation, what it looks like in the classroom is different in each location. So it's good to see what people across the state are doing with the technology that we might be using, applying it differently within their setting.
Anything specific you're looking forward to today?
You know, a lot of the products that we're really interested is Nearpod and how that works within Canvas, and extending the access of learning 24/7 to students so they can learn on their own when they're at home outside of the classroom. That's kind of what are we doing outside of the classroom is what I'm looking for today.
Perfect. Well, have a great day.
Thanks.
All right.
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So Dani, do you want to give our audience a tech tip today?
I mean, do we have to?
Well, I mean, this is a podcast kind of about technology.
I'm tired. Do you have a tech tip for today?
I mean, I guess if I have to, I can come up with one.
I mean--
So, for our lazy teachers tech tip today, Dani, I thought that you and I could do this one together.
OK. I'm unprepared. But OK.
So we saw a lot of different tools at the UCET conference.
Yes.
But one of the tools that got a lot of buzz and I saw a lot of people using was Flipgrid.
Oh, yes. Absolutely. You're totally right. Flipgrid is awesome.
So one of the ways the teachers are using Flipgrid is as a video-based discussion board for their classes. Any teacher who has Chromebooks in your class, this is a great way for you to get a lot of different students participating. If you've never used Flipgrid before, basically what you do is you create a discussion question. You can use just type text, or you can put it in video or audio or whatever you want.
And you create a prompt that the students then use their computers to respond to. And you have all kinds of controls in Flipgrid, everything from how long the videos are to who can see them. But this is a fun, interactive way for teachers and students to share their voices, but also to see the people behind the voices.
Yeah. And they have all sorts of fun things. People can add little emojis to their pictures, which is, of course, very important to me. The other thing that's great is Jared, there is an app as well. So you can have them scan the QR code on whatever device that they're using to respond to their question.
So at the conference, we had teachers telling their EDU story, which was awesome. But I think another way that I've seen it used, not just by students was-- but by teachers, was to share reflections on professional development. So I thought that was a really cool use of Flipgrid. Hashtag #Flipgridfever.
And Flipgrid as an organization has been heavily involved in a lot of the different conferences and programs that we have going around the state.
And I think it's free now, right?
It is completely free.
That is awesome.
So there you go. If you haven't played around with Flipgrid, Dani not only has spring fever, she's got a little Flipgrid fever.
[LAUGHING]
True.
So there's your lazy teacher tech tip for today.
I need a nap.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Well, there you have it, Dani. Lots of different voices, all sharing what they thought about UCET.
I love that. I love hearing from all of the educators that came to the conference and what they were enjoying and what they were participating in et cetera, because there's so much at the conference, that people can have so many different experiences. And it's not often that we can kind of combined those into just some audio clips. So I loved hearing them.
Well, the theme of UCET this past year was share your story. And we hope we were able to share at least a few of your stories, and hopefully the rest of you can also share your story about what you experienced at UCET with your colleagues.
Yeah, absolutely. I think it's definitely about technology integration and best practices. But it's also about kind of making our teacher world a little bit bigger and expanding the walls of our classrooms.
So Dani, I think most teachers are getting ready for spring break. I think they're ready for the bell.
I think you're right.
OK. We'll see you next time.
Bye, guys.
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