What Attending the Apple Institute Has Taught Me About Engaging Educators

What Attending the Apple Institute Has Taught Me About Engaged Educators

It has been a few weeks since I returned from the North American ADE 2013 Institute in Austin, Texas, and it is about time for me to reflect on the entire, breath-taking experience.

Many of the ADEs have already posted their own thoughts.  One good example comes from Kyle Pearce who is a new ADE from Ontario, Canada.  He has shared both his application video and his reflections on attending his first institute.   The highlight for him (and others) was the opportunity to connect with other like-minded educators with a shared vision for teaching.  This theme runs through many other postings. Courtney Pepe, an ADE from New Jersey shared her Top 10 List and Kristi Meeuws, another new ADE from South Carolina, reflects on the shared experience.  Daniel Whitt and Beth Sanders from Youth Culture Converts captured the energy of many ADEs attending the conference. 

The Institute is a non-stop affair.   As Troy Bagwell writes - We Were on Fire.   In just four days, I attended many world-class sessions and had not only the best professional learning in my career but possible the best educational experience of my life.  The presenters ranged from those who are world-renowned (Bill Frakes, Rebecca Stockey and Nancy Duarte) to those enthusiastic experts such as Bea Cantor (download and read her book on macro photography).  There is no describing the energy and enthusiasm filling the room and every single educator there actively seeks out opportunities to learn, write, engage, network, debate, comfort and support a team of 400.  And they commit to creating content throughout their summer holidays.  It is amazing because it so rarely happens in other settings.  And that is what I have been pondering these last few weeks - what makes this group and this institute so unique?

First - The educators at these events are told they are valued - that what they are doing matters and is special and meaningful for students.  This is reinforced throughout the week - ADEs showcase their work and share their best moments. Given the current climate in British Columbia and other North American districts, teacher appreciation has become anything but the norm.  It is amazing how being accepted and acknowledged energized everyone in the room.

Second - The content offered is meaningful and world-class.  It is not dumbed-down and it goes beyond the basics.  If you need to catch up to what is happening after a session, there are people ready to help.  In Austin, impromptu sessions were held well into the evenings - run by "ordinary teachers" with something to share.  Do you want to know how an app works or have a question about lighting while taking photographs - there is someone standing beside you to help.

Third - There is a common goal.  It is unwritten but omnipresent - ADEs are aiming for an enriched, meaningful, interactive, high-level thinking educational experience for their students.  There is ongoing questioning of our own practice and it is OK to get help if you need it.  ADEs are goal-oriented and driven to create best practice.  This group consensus doesn't happen as often as it should in schools, and that is really too bad as that closed door mentality robs all teachers of opportunities for mentorship and team collaboration.

Fourth - Failure is celebrated.  Why?  Because someone took a risk, shared their ideas and everyone thought that was great. 

Fifth - ADEs make a commitment to create content - they read, they research, they document, they assess and they write it up and share it with others.  They are not passive and they do more than curate ideas. 

Sixth - ADEs blog.  They tweet.  They photograph.  They are artists and musicians.  They are life long learners and they are enthusiastic about what they do.  Their actions are public and I think that is a good thing when you consider that often the only people watching a teacher work are children.  ADEs know what they are doing is valuable and they want the world to know that they are actively working on finding the best path for students ALL THE TIME.

My One Best Thing - ADE North American Institute July 2013 

My One Best Thing - ADE North American Institute July 2013 

I am still trying to catch up with all the postings and preparation sent out by Apple and the ADEs attending the North American Institute in July.

So far ADES have had the opportunity to:

•  submit a 1 minute video of a student or colleague talking about their most meaningful ah-ha   moments
•  sign up for a 1 in 3 session - Apple will give you three minutes to talk about your practice while they video tape you
•  experience an ADE Institute iTunes course
•  sign up for a photo walk of Austin on Sunday the 14th prior to the start of the institute (signed up and ready to go)

AND....

submit a posting on your One Best Thing.

This One Best Thing is proving to be a real challenge for me for a couple of reasons.  Unlike the 1-in-3 session, this part of the process isn't voluntary and I have to be honest with myself - I am not really that good at self-promotion (I fear being seen as a braggart).  How do I take credit for things that are often collaborative?  The truth is that I do drive my own practice and often expect the rest of the school to accommodate me, but the real joy for me is working with a motivated team.  How do I narrow down what I am doing?  The things I do best have become intertwined into a single entity - it has been a long time since I looked at the various chunks and tried to rate them.

I am a generalist - a classroom teacher who has to be an expert in all subject areas.
As such, the challenges that face me, like many other teachers,  are many:  teaching curriculum, engaging students, working with at-risk boys, supporting my colleagues’ professional development, advocating for change at the school and district level, writing grant applications, begging and borrowing what resources I can to support my students, organizing whole school community events, creating and publishing lesson ideas and helping to support (hopefully) a change in the direction of the school. 


This past fall, I started work in a school where, in the past, not much attention has been paid to using technology to support learning.  There were no real resources.  Not much buy-in from staff, students and parents.  No real interest in inquiry.  But this is changing and there has been a significant shift in the direction the school has taken.  Think the influx of 70 iPads in the past few months for a start.  I am so excited for this change and so grateful that I have a chance to be a part of such a shift.


I have been struggling to narrow down my One Best Thing.  I think I have strengths (and weaknesses) in many areas - so how to decide.  Part of the challenge in deciding is the knowledge that this One Best Thing will be the basis of my project when I am in Austin.  I don't think I want to do project work on integrating technology into my classroom practice.  Although I think I am good at it, I have been doing this for years and I want to explore other topics I am not so experienced with. 


Currently, my passions are supporting other teachers as they try to change their practice AND creating a school-wide environment to support student learning.  So I will go with that.  My One Best Thing for the summer institute is.....supporting teacher engagement and change at the school level.  .....although I want to explore assessment options and expanding the learning community as well.

On My Way to Austin - The First Steps - ADE North American Institute July 2013 

On My Way to Austin -  The First Steps - ADE North American Institute 

July 2013 

In February of 2008 I was welcomed into the Apple Distinguished Educator Family.  Off to Quebec I went and had what was certainly the best Professional Development Experience of my life. Sessions with a Pulitzer Prize Winning photographer, a photo hunt in a blizzard, my first bobsled run and a chance to meet and work with some amazing Canadian educators.....yes Shelagh, Kevin, Colin, Dean and Mott, I mean you.

Fast forward to July 2013 and I am headed for Austin, Texas for a North American ADE Institute.  ADEs from Canada, the United States and Mexico will be there.  Many people ask what it means to be an ADE and the explanation I give is always simplistic and lacking detail since you kind of have to be there.  So, I am going to try to document the process and share the excitement.  (Mom, this is for you.)

First step was the invitation to apply.  Attendance at the Institute is not a given.  For me, the application process included updating my monthly journals (where I document my activities as an authour, advocate and ambassador), creating a video of what is happening with my students and filling out an online application.  The application was due by January 1st and then I waited until the end of February to find out who the new ADEs Class of 2013 were and whether I was accepted to go - and I was!!!

The next step was filling out the forms for hotel and ground transportation, indicate what potential workshops I was interested in attending or facilitating, complete an ethics compliance form and get approved by my District Superintendent. 

Then the planning emails started to arrive.  A teaser video from Maxx Judd, Worldwide ADE Program Manager for Apple sets out the shape of the week.  There will be a session with another Pulitzer Prize Winning photographer, share-out sessions with noted experts in the field, chances to create content with support from an amazing group of experts in the field and opportunities to network with some amazing people.  An online collaborative space was set up to facilitate planning and discussion.  The ADEs have been encouraged to post and contribute to various forums and project pages.  We have also been invited to sign up to contribute and share our story of transformational learning.  And since this is Apple, the organizers have created a iTunes U course to guide us through our week.

My goal for the next few weeks?  I have been out of school for only two days and I am behind in my Basecamp postings and contributions - I need to catch up (and I will).  ADE enthusiasm is always contagious.