This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Natalie Bigelow

We are all someone’s Cinnamon Coffee.

As if last year wasn’t complicated, confusing, and challenging enough, many of us are entering the 2020-2021 school year facing more anxiety, pressure, and uncertainty than ever. Toward the end of summer, I reopened my classroom door to piece back together what used to be. It was an eerie feeling. My calendar was still set on March 16, 2020. Some unfinished projects from last year’s students sat on the shelf. Boxes of completed packets from our “extended school closure” were next to my filing cabinet. I sat down at my desk, still feeling the impact of last year’s chaos while the sense of anxiety and uncertainty surrounding the 2020-2021 school year began creeping in to join.

“How will I reach each student?”
“How will I prepare them for the state test?”
“Will the students be behind in their skills?”
“How can I ensure I’m doing enough for my students?”
“How will I have enough time to teach in person and virtually?”
“What are other teachers doing that I should be doing too?”

As education professionals, I assume we are all asking ourselves similar questions. 

While the stress and tension inside me rose, I glanced around my disheveled classroom, and my eyes stopped on a framed piece of notebook paper I keep on my desk. It’s two sided and houses two student written poems. And in that instant, I felt a sense of relief. It was a reminder that I didn’t know I needed at the time. Both pieces of poetry were given to me by former students who each wrote about the impact I made on them. Neither of whom included lines or stanzas about the content I taught them, the tests they aced, or the academic goals they achieved. Instead the first poem was titled “Cinnamon Coffee” and included lines such as the following:
“Sweet like cinnamon, strong like coffee...”
“Sunlight, glimmering hope. A smile of understanding. Ambitious array put on display. Something I wish I could do...”
“Pride filled smile. Determination coats the overlap of calm...” 
“Encouraging tone and words stronger than the strongest of gems...”

Poet two wrote: 
“I will miss you now. I will miss you later. Later never comes, but you do.”
“When I am in school, you are always there when I need you. You help me when I need it.”
“I will miss you. We will all miss you.” 

Don’t get me wrong, when I first received each of these poems (in year 1 and year 6), I was undoubtedly touched and even brought to tears. However, they hit me differently after having joined the Fluency Project and experiencing what we all endured last year with the extended school closure. What an astounding reminder! As educators, we have a lot of responsibility, and educating children is definitely a priority. However, one thing the Fluency Project has brought to the forefront of my mind is that there is much more to educating a child than academic content driven by state standards. Now more than ever, children need us. We are not just educators, and we do far more than just educate the mind. 

Prior to receiving those poems, I didn’t realize that many of the lessons that students learn from me often have nothing to do with the Pythagorean theorem or scientific notation. I didn’t realize that my determination, my ambition, or my shoulder to lean on would be what stood out most to my students. I didn’t think that’s what they would cling to or remember about me. The Fluency Project has helped me realign my perspective on how to approach education, our students, and our priorities. I’ve learned so much about what our students really need. While content is important, without looking at students as a whole and as human beings- we could be missing some key components and some vital aspects of their education and their lives. 

So if you’re like I was, sitting at my desk with the fear of the 2020-2021 school year looming, let this be a reminder that YOU are someone’s Cinnamon Coffee. Perhaps now is an opportune time to pull out some old student cards, art work, or other reminders you have kept. Because regardless of what happens this school year, regardless of what your students learn or don’t learn, regardless of how awesome or lame your Google Classroom is - just know that someone this school year will NEED you. You will be someone’s Cinnamon Coffee. You will be someone’s “sunlight glimmering hope”. And to be honest, that might be all he or she needs out of the 2020-2021 school year. That might be just enough. I wish you and all of your students the best!

Natalie Bigelow graduated from Ohio University in 2013 with a major in special education (k-12, mild to moderate).  Natalie began a career as an eighth grade intervention specialist at St. Clairsville Middle School in 2013. This will be her eighth year working at St. Clairsville Middle School as an eighth grade intervention specialist. Natalie is currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Natalie’s special interests include crafting, running, and baking.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Gail Adams 

In November 2013, I earned certification as a National Board Certified Teacher. One might think that such an accomplishment could be construed as being on one’s “A game,” but what I quickly realized was that I had only begun my journey as a reflective practitioner. From that point on, nothing I taught was ever viewed through the same lens again. Lessons were tweaked, retweaked, and even scrapped in favor of trying something new, especially when it meant incorporating new technologies into my classroom. 

The Common Core Standards came about during this time, and the saying “an inch wide and a mile deep” resonated with me. The units I created could be called massive rabbit holes, where I challenged my students to construct their own knowledge surrounding the themes of the literature we studied. For example, when we read “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, we studied the origin of the phrase the “butterfly effect.” We learned what is meant by a carbon footprint. We created infographics using Canva to educate others about ways to reduce our carbon footprint, but only after we had studied visual aesthetics, color composition, and font styles. Needless to say, my units took a lot longer to cover than my colleagues’ teaching of the same literature. I always felt like an anomaly because they couldn’t understand why I was so far behind them. Yet, in my heart, I knew what I was doing was in the best interest of my students. They were given the opportunity to construct their own knowledge, to develop their voice, and to have their voices heard by more than their classmates in my classroom. 

Enter the Data and Technology Fluency Project (Fluency). When I first heard about it, I realized it was a way to revolutionize our thinking about our teaching, but—more importantly—about how our students learn and encouraging them to construct their own knowledge. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Core Propositions focus
heavily on teachers: Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to students and their learning. Proposition 2: Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students, Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning, Proposition 4: Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, Proposition 5: Teachers are members of learning communities.

 Fluency brings a fresh perspective to teaching: one of exploration and discovery through “deep inquiry, case-making and advocacy.” The focus shifts from teacher-centered to student-centered learning, with teachers taking on more of a coaching role to help facilitate learning. No longer do we have to have all the answers; in fact, it is perfectly fine that we don’t. With Fluency we team with our students to gather information, help them make connections to their personal experiences, and have a voice for a much wider audience. In the Industrial Age education model, rote learning was perfect for an industrial society, but that age is gone. Our society, more than ever, demands citizens who are critically thinking, active members of society who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo through the use of their voices. 

Take a look at the value statements of the Data and Technology Fluency Project.
Our shared belief in compassion means that we approach our relationships with respect and acceptance, striving to understand and support each other, making space for vulnerability in service of our full humanity.
Our shared belief in equity means that, in design,  we prioritize accessibility first, being  intentionally inclusive, eliminating the barriers that prevent the full participation of all peoples, and ensuring the accessibility of information and technology.
Our shared belief in authenticity means that we are transparent in our purpose and process, aiming to be genuine to who we are in our work and with each other.
Our shared belief in agency means that we copower each other, promoting each person’s voice and recognizing their impact.

Seriously, isn’t this exactly what our world needs? If you were to read those value statements through any lens—as global citizens, as racially diverse people, as people of varying socio-economic statuses, etc.—they would be germane to how we build a better society. Now, imagine cohort after cohort of passionate teachers bringing the values  of Fluency—compassion, equity, authenticity, and agency—to their classrooms. To quote a phrase from the 60s, the thought of this blows my mind. 

While I still find value in becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, I find my worth as a Fluency educator. The two programs complement each other, and I have grown from being part of both, but I feel a deeper connection to Fluency because of its holistic and humanistic approach to empower our learners. The world needs compassionate, empathetic, and articulate citizens who are unafraid to have their voices heard, and Data and Technology Fluency Project educators will play an integral role in preparing those citizens for the world they will inherit and, I hope, make a better place.

Gail Adams graduated from West Liberty University in 2004 with a major in Secondary Education--English (Grade 5 through Adult). She began a career as a teacher at Wheeling Park High School in English and Fine and Performing Arts. She currently serves as an Innovation Coach for Ohio County Schools.
Gail is the 2015 West Virginia Teacher of the Year and currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Gail’s special interests include family, fitness, and friends.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Eric Trio

Students across the United States have been living in a different world over the past five months. Many have been isolated from family, friends, extra-curricular activities and the list goes on. Their school year was abruptly interrupted and they received their remaining school year education through video meetings, packets of worksheet after worksheet and newer online software in which they had little or no prior knowledge of using. In some cases, there were students who probably received next to no education based on the lack of resources and socio-economic barriers.

Then came summer where many students get physical, mental and emotional rejuvenation through vacations, sports, family/friend gatherings, various types of camps and many other types of activities. While some of the prior list mentioned happened at a limited capacity, none of it was normal and many children did not get to experience any of it at all.

So…where do we go with our students from here? How do we go into a new school year with so much uncertainty and changes to our teaching as we have known it? As I think of all of the time students have spent at home being isolated from their teachers and peers in the classroom, what have they lost most…a voice! I am a music teacher and I can easily take the route of equating student voice to singing and being musical, but it is so much more than that!

Orff-Schulwerk (translation of the German word “schulwerk” is “school work”) is one of several approaches of teaching music to children. It was developed by the German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982) and colleague Gunild Keetman. The Orff method combines music, movement, speech, drama, and creativity into lessons that are similar to a child’s world of play. Folk songs and folk dances from around the world are also a part of the process. Musical concepts are learned through the basic mediums of singing, speaking, movement, and playing a wide variety of instruments. Through the development of musical improvisation, students begin to learn how to create their own music at a very young age. The teacher guides, the child creates and the entire time learning is taking place through a child’s natural sense of play (Keetman, 1984).

As mentioned earlier, speech is one of the foundations of the Schulwerk, so it is only natural to incorporate children’s literature into the Orff-Schulwerk classroom…or any classroom! Quality literature is child-centered and sparks interest in students of all ages (Stephansky, 2011). Geibler (2019) describes how that spark of interest can be determined through the following qualifying factors:
Is this relevant? Will students understand the context? Is it meaningful in their day to day lives? Does it help students find their place in the world? Does the text describe the universal condition in some way?
Is it relatable? Can students feel empathy for the situation? Can they envision themselves in the context?
Does the text stand behind the test of time? Has the text come from an older source? Is it likely to have meaning 50 years from now?
Is the language on a high level and full of imagery? Slang and popular idioms are fun, but not lasting. Words that need explanation, or even better, a consultation with a dictionary will help expand vocabulary. A text that sparks imagination or helps form a mental picture is one that will serve well in class.
Does the text invite further creative exploration? That information may come in the form of a movement activity, a theatrical performance, the creation of a new song or poem, or the invention of a sound carpet (student chosen sounds to help bring the story to life).
Is the text child-like…or childish? Literature presented by the teacher in class should be child-like and rich with possibility. Contrast this with student compositions that are expected to be childish, for they are, after all, children. An example of literature that fits this mold is a book called This is Our House by Hyewon Yum.
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Synopsis (macmillan Publishers, n.d.):
A tree has bloomed on a city block outside a house for many years. Inside that house, several generations of a family have grown up. Grandma and Grandpa arrived at the house from a country far away, and Mom and her brothers played on the steps on warm summer days. This little girl learned how to walk on that street, too. This is Our House is a warm story with spare text that follows a family through seasons and generations, from the early days of immigration to the times that made their house into a home.

Highlights

• Immigration: this can reach students on multiple levels: students may know family members that came from another country (grandparents, parents, themselves!). This could also connect with some students that might be in a transient family that has moved multiple times for different reasons: financial, military, broken family, etc.)
• Housing: living in a house with many people living in the home, sharing bedrooms with siblings, a house has remained in the family for many generations.
• Family pictures from the holidays
• Smells of foods from special recipes in the family

These are just a few of the elements that can make connections with our students. I also use a spoken chant as I read this story to my classes, “It’s a great big house, it’s a great big house, it’s a great…big…house!” This creates a great thread to connect the storyline throughout. You can also take this in other directions with movement…building different parts of a house: roof, walls, doors, etc. Students can use their body to make shapes around the room of the different parts of a house. This could be extended… “I wonder what you could make with a friend (socially-distanced)?” Elements such as this are endless to provide exploration for your students!

Finally, when you choose that book for your classroom, make sure YOU love it first! That same love will transcend to your students as your passion will shine through. Making positive and lasting connections with our students is a major component in their overall growth!

Eric Trio graduated in 2004 from West Virginia University with a BM in music education and in 2012 from Shepherd University with a MM in music education.  He is in his fifteenth year as a music educator where he taught prior as a high school band director, elementary band and strings teacher and is now currently teaching general music (K-4) at St. Clairsville elementary school in Ohio. He is currently working on his certification as an Orff-Schulwerk teacher specializing in movement, recorder pedagogy and the creative music-making process in children.  

Eric is a veteran of the Army and Air National guard of West Virginia where he was a member of 249th Army Band for most of his military career.  He is a member of the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) and serves as the current president of the Mountain Laurel chapter of AOSA. He is currently a member of a member Cohort 4 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University).

References
Geibler, C. (March 2019). Making a Case for Quality Material. Reverberations.
Keetman, G. (1984). Elementaria: First Acquaintance with Orff-Schulwerk. SCHOTT MUSIK INTL MAINZ.
macmillan Publishers. (n.d.). Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374374877
Stephansky, J. (2011). Working Together: Children’s Literature and Elemental Music. Reverberations, 10 (4), 8.  https://member.aosa.org/storage/files/shares/oldasset/reverberations/2010-13%20PDF%20Versions/Lit%20and%20Music%20Patschwerk%20summer%2011.pdf

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Jason Metz

In the midst of a global pandemic it is often hard to find positives.  We have restrictions on what we can do, who we can see and even what we wear.  Where are the positives?  Is there anything to be gained or learned?  

As educators, our world was flipped upside down in March.  We instantly had to adapt and overcome the obstacle in front of us in order to service our student’s academic needs.  While there was some obvious complaining, confusion and fear, whether we realize it or not, there was also rapid learning and growth on both parts, educator and student. At least at the collegiate level, how often do we as educators hear from our students that it is hard learning from so many different types of professors?  Each professor’s methods often require different learning, note taking and even test taking strategies.  We encourage our students to learn how to diversify their methods to be more competitive in the job market. 

But have we learned anything as educators?  How many of us have slipped into a comfort zone with our methods because we have been teaching the same classes for so long?  How many of us were outside of our comfort zone in March and have not been able to return to that zone?  Whether we realize it or not, we are all experiencing personal and professional growth and
evolving as an educator.  Technologies and methods we were reluctant to use, we are now forced to use and we must figure out the best implementation.  This is causing our students to evolve as a learner.

There are 2 quotes that seem to resonate at these times.  Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”  In the words of Mr. Rogers, “Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.”  In the spirit of those words, let’s look at COVID-19 in positive light.  I would like to believe, if we as educators are growing, hopefully that transmits to our students.  If we as educators tried out something new to use in our position, we have not only expanded our methods, but we have also exposed our students to a new way to learn and potentially use in their future career.  A diverse learner is an enjoyable lifelong learner. 

As we head back to class, take some time to remember that the challenge that this pandemic is posing is actually causing us to evolve as educators and our students to evolve as learners.  If there is truth to Einstein’s quote, imagine how we and our students are going to improve and grow.  Considering Mr. Rogers’ quote, it is likely that our students are our helpers and we are their helpers.  Until we left campus in March, I did not realize how much of my genuine happiness and enjoyment was wrapped up in student interactions.  Based on the number of emails I received, it is apparent that students look to us as their helpers through academic, professional and personal interactions.  Let’s not forget how much we depend on each other and
help each other.

Jason Metz graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in with a doctoral major in Exercise Physiology and a doctoral minor in Sports Medicine.  Jason began a career as a teacher at Slippery Rock University in 2010.  He has been engaged in collaborations with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association and currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Jason’s special interests include a passion for ultra-endurance mountain bike riding and racing.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Jonna Kuskey​

This has been the summer of my antiracist enlightenment. That was not the plan. My only plan this summer was to master the technology needed to prepare for all COVID-19 scenarios: in-person, distance, and hybrid.

Then George Floyd was killed.

On May 25, I watched the video of Floyd dying under the knee of a public servant—listened to him beg for breath, call out for his mama . . . plead for breath, whisper for his mama . . . gasp for breath . . . one . . . last . . . shallow . . . breath . . . then . . . . . . . . . . . . he was gone.

Floyd’s death took up residence deep in my gut and in the muscles around my clenched teeth. I replayed the scene hundreds of times in my head, hoping the horrific image would change. It didn’t, but everything else did.
Plans changed.
Lives changed.
The world changed.
The country changed.

I changed.

I thought of the Fluency Project Values

• Compassion
• Equity,
• Authenticity
• Agency

George Floyd was afforded none of those. What about Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin or all those who came before?

I thought of the Fluency Project Mission

• To “gather information, reconcile it with personal experience, and influence public discourse”

Because of Floyd’s death, my more urgent “Fluency” plan was born

1. To gather information to better educate myself about racism and social injustice
2. To reconcile this new knowledge with my personal experience
3. To ensure discourse is antiracist and embedded with compassion, equity, authenticity, and agency

Gather Information
I read countless adult and young adult fiction and nonfiction books, essays, speeches, poems, and articles, old and new. I’ve been watching documentaries and TEDTalks, Emmanuel Acho’s YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades of America. So far, I have attended four online antiracism and social justice presentations featuring Kendi. (Shout out to Kendi for making himself available for so many conversations and Q&A sessions!)

Reconcile it with Personal Experience
My inquiry has brought me face-to-face with some sad, sobering truths.

I am a product of a whitewashed education.

During my schooling, I didn’t learn about Emmet Till, Medgar Evers, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, or Cynthia Wesley, about Black Wall Street, Native American boarding schools, the Tulsa or Conestoga Massacres. I read Hawthorne, Fitzgerald, Golding, Hemingway, Huxley, Orwell, Shakespeare but not Baldwin, Brooks, Ellison, Hurston, Momaday, Wright.

A conscious choice was made in our educational system to omit the unflattering details. Before entering the textbooks and the classrooms, our history was scrubbed clean of America’s mistakes, misdeeds, atrocities, and sins. How might today’s America be different if we had been given the whole story, the best, the worst, the in between?

Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In light of my own education, it may be more appropriate to say, “Those who were never taught about the past are condemned to repeat it.” And that, unfortunately, leads to my second, more sobering truth.

I have been a purveyor of a whitewashed education.

This is hard to admit and even harder to make manifest, the words staring back at me, forcing me to acknowledge my complicity and ignorance. But no longer. Consider me woke, an antiracist awakening if you will.

I once was blind, but now I see. Through a new set of eyes, I now see the need to loosen my grip on the traditional literary canon, to curate more diverse texts, to bring more diverse voices into my instruction, to welcome and empower social justice inquiry.

Ensure an Antiracist Discourse
Diverse discourse cannot happen until diversity exists within the classroom. So, it shall be. Thanks to the generosity of those who funded my first Donors Choose project, more than 50 diverse young adult authors and books will greet students when they enter my room this year, all available for independent reading and as part of our new ProjectLIT book club. The books will also be used to diversify my curriculum and instruction. (Check out my second Donors Choose project that’s also related to antiracism.)

Finally, to create and maintain a safe space for antiracist conversation and curriculum in my classroom, I have begun and will continue to learn and seek guidance. My summer journey has found me exploring issues remotely with ELA teachers from the United States and across the world through the Conference on English Leadership’s “Leading for Social Justice” series and NCTE’s Summer Sandbox, a four-week workshop on culturally sustaining pedagogy and antiracist ELA education. I am also participating in the 2020 Summit on Race Matters in West Virginia, sponsored by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. (Visit tgkvf.org for more information on the Summit sessions that will be held monthly, August through December.) I would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge THANK YOU to the Conference on English Leadership, the National Council of Teachers of English, and The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation for organizing these valuable seminars and providing them for free. Their work has created a ripple effect that I hope will create waves of positive change.

Best of all, I also have you, Fluency Project members who live and breathe the antiracist values of compassion, equity, authenticity, and agency. Collaborating with you has been life-affirming and sustaining. You have made me a better and braver teacher, one who had the confidence to look at herself this summer and decide she needed to be better and braver still.


Some of My Summer Reads
Elizabeth Acevedo The Poet X
Acevedo, Mahogany Browne, Olivia Gatwood Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice
Michelle Alexander The New Jim Crow
Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah Homes: A Refugee Story
Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me; The Water Dancer; We Were Eight Years in Power
Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Tiffany Jewell This Book is Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi How to Be an Antiracist, Stamped from the Beginning
Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds Stamped (YA version of Kendi’s larger work)
John Lewis Across that Bridge; March
Walter Dean Myers Monster
Trevor Noah Born a Crime
Michelle Obama Becoming
Jason Reynolds For Everyone
Colson Whitehead The Nickel Boys; The Underground Railroad
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Jonna Kuskey is a National Board Certified Teacher who teaches AP English Language and Composition, Seminar, and Research at John Marshall High School.  She is currently a member of Cohort 4 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University).

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Christa Miller

The Data & Technology Fluency Project with the College of Education & Human Performance at West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University recently hosted The Connected Classroom Virtual Learning Series, providing training on a wide variety of topics.  The trainings helped prepare us for the upcoming school year, whatever it may look like. In addition to the content, the trainings also helped provide a sense of calm and community.  The trainings were totally optional, but we did it for the love of learning.  The presenters volunteered their time for the love of learning.  There is a lot that can happen when there is a love of learning.

There has been so much uncertainty over the last several months.  As teachers we spend our summers looking ahead to the new school year, and as the time draws near, our anxiety and excitement begin to increase.  This year has added a whole new level of anxiety.  Of course, we have the normal worries: What will my students be like? How many students will I have? What
will my schedule be? But this year our questions are much bigger: Will we be teaching in our classrooms or virtually or some combination of the two? How do I effectively teach seven an eight-year-old students virtually?  How do I get to know my students when I do not get to meet them in person?  How can I truly connect with students I may only get to see twice a week? How can I create a community with my class if we are not all together?

The Connected Classroom Series helped to answer some of those big questions and ease some of the anxiety about the upcoming school year.  It is so inspiring and encouraging to see so many wonderful educators coming together to share their knowledge.  The Connected Classroom Series provided 27 different trainings presented by a variety of educators.  Each of the trainings was designed to help us be better, more effective educators.  The trainings provided information that would help us with teaching in person, virtually, or both.  

I participated in several of the trainings, and each time I was inspired and walked away with a new set of skills, along with some relief that everything will be okay.  The trainings helped ease some of the worries and provide a sense of calmness.  Here are just a few highlights from the trainings I participated in:

• There are a variety of awesome and effective ways to get to know my students, even if they are not physically in my classroom.  Creating and building connections and a sense of community is possible online.  Students can feel seen and heard despite where they may be.
• There are many amazing platforms to share information with students and get it from them.  Both teachers and students can create effective videos to share what they know.  You can be yourself on those videos too!  Have fun!  Teaching online does not mean you have to lose who you are in the classroom.
• Differentiating online is totally doable and possibly even easier than in person.  Individual students can be assigned different assignments.  Assignment submissions can take on many different looks – where one student may submit a written response, another may submit a video or even an audio recording.
• There are many tools to create maximum engagement.  Higher level thinking, collaboration, and communication skills can most certainly happen both inside the classroom and online.
• There are SO many resources out there for every age group.  Students can safely search the web, find information in data bases, read books, play games, and so much more.  Content rich resources are out there.  

At the end of each training, the presenters shared their contact information and offered to help in any way they could.  This is a love of teaching.  This is a love of learning.  We are here for one another no matter what may come our way.

We can do this.  We are a resilient bunch.  We will come out and be better and stronger because of it.  It is amazing to be part of such an awesome group of educators that never stops sharing information and always seeks to build one another up.  

The workshop series provided so much more than just training.  It was empowering to choose the trainings that we felt pertained to us and our situations.  It was encouraging to hear from our peers.  It was enlightening to learn about different tools and techniques to try.  It was comforting to see that there are answers to our big questions.  There are ways to connect with our students.  Relationships and a sense of community can be built, even virtually.  Virtual learning can be effective.  I feel empowered to embrace this new school year.  I am still reluctant to accept that this is how our school year will look, but I am thankful to have the tools and support of my educational community to make it effective.  

I love that this workshop series was titled The Connected Classroom Virtual Learning Series.  That is just what it was truly about – connections.  Through the trainings we learned how to be connected with our students in so many ways, but we also saw the connection of educators.  So many people out there are willing to share what they know, willing to help and support in any way they can, and that is so comforting to know.  I know this year will be a success.  As difficult as it may be, we will get through.  There is a whole tribe out there ready to help.  You get out what you put in.  What are you bringing to your students this year?

*Recordings of The Connected Classroom series can be found on WLU's Topper Station

Christa Miller graduated from West Liberty University in 2005 with a major in Elementary Education.  She later pursued her masters from West Virginia University. After spending a few years as a substitute, teaching a wide variety of subjects and grade levels, she began her full- time career as a teacher at Warwood School in 2010, teaching 1 st grade.  Christa currently teaches 2 nd grade.  Christa is National Board Certified and constantly seeks out ways to learn and grow. Christa currently is a member of Cohort 4 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Christa’s special interests include traveling, running, and spending time with her family.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Melanie Riddle

How many times have you been told to work smarter, not harder? What is wrong with hard work? What is hard work? As educators we praise and admire the amount of thought, time, and effort our students pour into their work. We guide and inspire them to struggle in their learning so they can feel the pride and joy of their creations and fresh knowledge.

When do teachers have time to struggle in their learning? Who guides and inspires us in our learning? I have never heard a colleague say they have extra time on their hands in our profession. There are days we can’t even spare a minute or two to just stop and be. Teachers are human doings and we need to transition back into human beings. This will benefit all stakeholders, but it will be a struggle to achieve this state of mind in our profession.

The Fluency Project gives us the time we need to struggle. We can pour thought, time, and effort into ourselves as educators while carving our professional identity. Reflecting on who we are, where we are going, and who we want to be is exhausting, but I promise you that when we leave our cohort meetings, it is an exhaustion that replenishes us with the motivation to continue the work we are doing in our schools and communities.

Identifying what our students need is a struggle. It is imperative that we humble ourselves enough to genuinely investigate what is working and not working in our classrooms. Luckily we have a strong network of teachers in the cohort to lean on because we feel safe and have time to stop and think about the changes that are happening in education at a rapid pace. We spend time slowing down so we can struggle to improve our craft.

After all of the hard work identifying the needs of our students, we leap into meeting these needs, so they are empowered to learn and create. Now, it is time to struggle with learning new technology and research-based practices to take back to our classrooms. Where do we struggle with all of this? The Fluency Project! It gives us the time, encouragement, and tools we need to take our classroom design to the next level.

What comes from all our struggles and hard work to learn, create, and design? Extraordinary classrooms where our students will thrive through hard work and triumph.

Melanie Riddle graduated from West Liberty University in 1999 with a major in elementary education.  Melanie began a career as a teacher at St. Francis Xavier school in  a fourth grade multi-subject classroom. She has recently been a part of the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, National Board for Certified Teachers cohort, and a fellow with Empatico. Melanie currently is a member of Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Melanie’s special interests include spending time with family, reading anything she can get her hands on, and knitting.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Riley Bonar

​I could sit here and talk with you about how it’s important to communicate with your students’ families. How developing those relationships really matter, but we already know this. It isn’t new information for us. What I’m here to share with you is how the Fluency Project has helped me realize the valuable potential of building these relationships authentically. 

I’ve been using the app Remind in my classroom since I first started teaching. This past year, I decided to try something else. I wanted to facilitate the growth of relationships between myself and my families, but also for relationships between families, too. Through Facebook and email lists, I had opened new doors to becoming more than just their child’s teacher. I became friends with my families. Through the spring semester, with Covid-19 taking over any and all plans, I did have a small sense of security. I had worked so diligently on cultivating this classroom community. My families were all present online—100% of them. I even had some grandparents and step-parents involved as well. Before we had any direction from our county, I jumped out there and started going “Live” on my page. I read stories, shared mini lessons, reminded them how much I missed them, and asked them how they were doing. I never had a pause in my mind thinking “What if the parents are watching these silly videos I’m making?” It literally never crossed my mind. Even if they had been watching, which I’m sure they were, it didn’t matter. I didn’t care. These parents are now my friends, and I value the relationships we formed.
 
I look forward to hearing from them every chance I get! They share with me about losing teeth, reading a book, or where they’re going on a trip. I love their sweet messages and videos. And yes, I get these messages from parents with the occasional cameo from their child. This platform became more than just relaying information from school to home and back around again. It has become a way for us to connect. 

When people ask me, “Tell me about yourself? What do you do?” I don’t respond with just saying that I teach and whatever else. I say that “I am a teacher.” It’s usually the first statement that comes from me. Being a teacher isn’t just a part of who I am; it is my essence. It’s truly the definition of who I am. Sure, I’m other things too. A wife, a dog mom, a photographer, but the thing that matters so much is that I’m a teacher. I’m proud to be a teacher. 

Riley graduated from West Liberty University in 2014 with a major in Elementary Education and minors in Special Education and Early Education.  Riley began a career as a teacher at Warwood School in second grade and then moved on to be the Leaders of Literacy Reading Specialist. She is now going into her fourth year teaching Kindergarten at Woodsdale Elementary.
Riley has been engaged in the West Virginia Campaign for Grade Level Reading and The Fluency Project. She is currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Riley’s special interests include keeping up with the latest early education trends and bloggers, portrait photography, being a pet mom to her fur babies, and thrifting.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Ann Railing

​When I began reflecting on my experience with “The Connected Classroom*,” I was excited for the challenge. Not only for being able to reflect on what I learned through the sessions, but also for the challenge of putting what I learned into words and how it relates to the FLUENCY project. This assignment also forced me into realizing that we will eventually be going back to school and I WILL be using the plethora of tools that I was introduced to in order to effectively run my classroom (virtually). Yikes, what a scary thought. You see, I started teaching when classroom movies were on reels and they used a projector. I took audio/visual aids as a college course and the copies were made with carbon paper and they were called dittos. I don’t think we even had computers, but it was so far back that I don’t remember. 

One of my first memories of being introduced to a computer was using a gradebook program at Cheat Lake Elementary School. We were able to input the students'; grades into a program which then averaged them and presented you with their grade. Bye, bye hard copies. I remember thinking that this was changing my world. I no longer had to calculate by hand the
multitude of grades that were recorded in my grade book for each student and average them (by hand) to calculate their grades. Fast forward a lot of years. When technology started to infiltrate the classroom I really left it up to my students to be in charge of the little bit of technology that was available. As the years went by teachers were expected to be knowledgeable and learn the different programs that were available. At some point I surrendered to the fact that technology was an important part of every aspect of life, especially the classroom. 

So here we are. The year 2020 and to top it all off in the midst of a national pandemic. Believe it or not, I have embraced technology in my classroom, not as much as some, but definitely more than others. I am willing to give anything a go and learn from it. I love getting to know my students and feel like giving them the opportunity to exercise their voices lets me get to know them on a new level. Being part of the Fluency project has encouraged me to jump into technology and student voice with more gusto, and I appreciate that. Through the Fluency project I have again realized the importance of student voice and how technology allows that voice to be heard loud and clear. 

I looked at all of the wonderful sessions being offered through “The Connected Classroom” and thought to myself, “How am I going to be able to choose a reasonable number of these?” I knew that I could benefit from them all. I realized that each session had something to offer that would either inform me or sharpen skills to make me a better virtual teacher. Since I am the teacher coordinator for the “Steenrod Broadcasting Team” I signed up for the “Green Screen” session. It was beautifully presented and gave me so many new ideas and tips to extend to the members of the team, and as the teacher sponsor I will be able to impart my wisdom to the students (for a change). I’ve been working on my classroom Bitmoji for weeks now and am so excited for my students to create their own bitmojis to share. What a wonderful way to emphasize Equity in the classroom and for the students to interact. I am now able to “Screencastify” with (some) confidence which will enable me to virtually teach my math lessons with (some) ease. Who knew all of the incredible possibilities that our own online grading program, Schoology, has to offer? I feel that if the only program I had to work with was Schoology, I would be set for the year. Schoology has so much to offer and I was incredibly happy to be introduced to its possibilities. 

To sum it all up “The Connected Classroom” gave me the opportunity to hone my skills as a virtual teacher. If I’m being honest, gain the skills. It also supported the fact that “FLUENCY” has been emphasizing for the past three or four years that I have been involved. Technology is the future. It is here to stay. Technology is an amazing tool to use to give our students a voice. I am especially pleased that I was offered the chance to sign up for as many or as few of the sessions offered through “The Connected Classroom” platform. “Let the games begin!”

*Recordings of The Connected Classroom series can be found on WLU's Topper Station

Ann Railing graduated from West Liberty College in 1980 with an Elementary Education 1-6 degree and from WVU in 1987 with a Masters, in Counseling.  Began my teaching career in 1983 in Morgantown, WV.   Taught a multitude of grade levels.  My current teaching position is with Ohio County Schools teaching 5 th grade.  I consider myself a “jack of all trades and a master of none,” although that may be a little too rough.  I am currently involved with the Wellness Group, Green Team, and Steenrod Broadcasting Team.  You could say that my interests lie with wellness and the environment.  I am currently a member of Cohort 3 of the Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University.)

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Jessica Kaminsky

Many of you have probably already seen the blog post I co-wrote with Autumn Troullos in June, where we took inspiration from Arundhati Roy’s "The Pandemic is a Portal" to rethink the current COVID-19 pandemic as a portal to a new way of teaching and learning.  
Following the original blog post, we put out a call for fellow dreamers to come imagine #TheNewHomeroom with Autumn and me. A group of fifteen dreamers spent several weeks gathering to discuss and create their own #TheNewHomeroom. This new list below is the collaborative vision of this team. Some from this group have already begun to share this process - letting go what has never served us, saying out loud our beliefs, committing to them through actions - with other colleagues in education. 
In reflecting back on this journey with #TheNewHomeroom so far, I have two lessons I’ve already learned: 

1. In re-reading the first iteration of my list, my own privilege and blindspots are revealed to me. I did not have an intentional racial justice, or intersectional, lens. In my own studies this summer of abolitionist teaching, I would now add to my list of beliefs that “there are no such thing as throwaway children” (thank you, Carla Shalaby), “schools can be leaders in building transformative justice” (thank you, Allied Media Conference), and “the cultures and lives of our students are not just to be tolerated, but celebrated” (thank you, Dr. Bettina Love). 
2. This process brings me hope and community. Talking through my dreams for education, and hearing the visions of others, brought me so much energy! As we head into a school year with filled with uncertainty, I feel confident that we have the potential to come out of this better than how we went in. 

Below is the new list of beliefs and actions, created by the team of dreamers. Thank you Tamara Pearson, Rachel Miller, Natalie Bigelow, Laurie Ruberg, Rachelle Poth, Lori Dougherty, Michelle Dietrich, Lindsey Lamm, Jen Wooding, Jordan Bishop, Gail Adams, Bennet McKinley, MaryLu Hutchins, and Bea Dias.