With schools going back into session and, at the same time, COVID numbers starting to climb again, it’s difficult to know what this “new normal” will look like. 

The entire educational landscape has shifted, and it’s impossible to know what it will look like in the coming months and years. In this conversation with Meg Ormiston, we talk about how things won’t--and shouldn’t--go back to “normal,” whatever normal might have been pre-COVID.

This is a great time for teachers and educational leaders alike to take a look at what worked before schools closed, how they shifted to engage students remotely during COVID (and what didn’t work), and make changes to what day-to-day school will look like moving forward. It’s time to pivot to put the responsibility of learning where it should be...on the students. But to do this effectively, students need choices and empowerment.

Listen in to find out what Meg has done to help teachers navigate online learning and support them through learning how to teach with technology--even if they’ve never used a Google product before. It’s a mindset shift that no one expected but that we all need to navigate.

 

About Meg Ormiston:

Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that have committed to 21st-century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a unique partnership in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her districtwide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is the lead author in the NOW Classrooms series of five books published in 2018. The books, written by 27 practicing educators, are organized into grade bands of K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and a leadership guide. The NOW Classrooms: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology books are practical and sequence technology skills K-12. The 3-5 NOW book was awarded a Teachers Choice Award by Learning Magazine. Also, Meg was named in “2018’s Most Influential People in EdTech” by Tech and Learning Magazine.

After twelve years of teaching and coaching in the classroom, Meg volunteered on her local school board, facilitated grant projects, and continued researching and writing about best practices.

To learn more about Meg’s work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

 

Jump in the Conversation:

• [1:45] Meg as a tech inspiration before and during COVID
• [2:30] Empowering students to own their learning
• [4:40] Change in student energy
• [5:26] Retraining teaching force
• [9:06] The changing landscape of professional development
• [12:20] One size does not fit all
• [14:45] The importance of technology
• [17:00] Why replicating the school day didn’t work in COVID
• [20:40] Now is the time to not go back to what was
• [21:45] Taking the paper out of teaching
• [24:26] We need to give up control for the sake of learning
• [28:38] Rapid fire round
• [35:16] Meg’s magic wand: Let students work in groups, be empowered, and explore and make mistakes.

  Links and Resources:

• Meg’s email
• Solution Tree: NOW Classrooms educational technology series
• Mighty Networks app and online PD
• Tech Teachers website: 
• "The Arrow" 
• End of Average (Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different  book and TEDx Talk by Todd Rose
• Essentialism--The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• Carol Dweck’s TED talk: The Power of Believing You Can Improve
• Episode 12: Micro-Teams Enhancing Student Agency and Learning
• End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different book and TEDx Talk by Todd Rose
• Email Maureen
• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep