11th Annual Minnetonka District Tours March 2 & 3, 2016

Full Schedule

For the past decade, Minnetonka Schools has opened its classrooms to more than 1,000 visitors from around the world to showcase how technology is integrated into instruction. Beginning this year, our annual tours are expanding to include all aspects of teaching and learning, not just a focus on technology. The National School Boards Association which hosted its second visit in Minnetonka in 2014. The tours always fill up, so register early! 

Classroom visits and small group sessions will provide direct interaction with teachers, staff, and students. Through the Minnetonka Teaching & Learning Framework, teachers design student learning experiences in eight dimensions: authentic and real-world learning, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, global perspectives, personalized learning, and the use of technology for learning. Come see learning in action, witness proven programs, and gather innovative ideas which you can take back to your school. Come for both days or just one: 

Wednesday, March 2, Overview Tour Day: 

Choose from four schools for full or half day tours, from elementary to middle to high school. Explore all subject areas, including Chinese and Spanish Language immersion, early childhood, special education, Navigator Highly Gifted Programming, Tonka Online, Tonka<codes>, and the arts.  Experience Minnetonka's digital learning cycle for a 1:1 iPad program (recognized as anApple Distinguished Program 2013-2017) and see technology meaningfully integrated at all levels. Walk through newly renovated and remodeled learning spaces including two Media Centers. At the secondary level, see both AP and IB programs and tour the Vantage Advanced Professional Studies Program campus. Classroom visits and mini-sessions will provide direct interaction with teachers and students. Lunch and bus transportation between sites provided.

School Tours: 

All Day Tour Option: Minnetonka High School​

OR 

AM Tour Options: Scenic Heights Elementary or Minnetonka High School

PM Tour Options: Groveland Elementary or Minnetonka Middle School East

Thursday, March 3, In Depth Dive into the Behind the Scenes Details: 

Choose from a wide variety of small group sessions led by Minnetonka staff to learn how things work behind the scenes. Sessions include innovation, the Teaching & Learning Framework, new teacher support, instructional technology support, online learning, coding, principal leadership, Design for Learning, assessment, the curriculum review process, Global Learners, gifted and talented programming, innovative student support services, personalized learning, 1:1 iPads, Schoology, and more. Discover best practices for implementing meaningful instruction that will accelerate learning, have time to ask questions, and head back to your own school full of ideas! Lunch provided.

Full Schedule

Want to learn more about last year's Tenth Annual Technology Site Visit? 
Here is the schedule from last year and a video overview:

Minnetonka Top 100+ Ideas for 1:1 Integration in 5th grade, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language

Last week twelve Minnetonka staff shared their best practices, favorite ideas, and tips for 1:1 integration in their curricular areas at the annual TIES Technology Conference in Minneapolis. Presentations were entitled TonkaX Teacher Talks, 1:1 Science- Unleash the Possibilities, and Engaging Learners Through Reflection & Discussion. Each teacher showcased some of their best ideas for integrating technology in their 1:1 classrooms in 5th grade, social studies, science, English, Spanish, and math. There are so many great ideas, most of which are device agnostic. 

TonkaX Teacher Talks: 25+ Best iPad Ideas
This breakout session will feature five Minnetonka 1:1 iPad teachers for 10 minutes each showcasing their five+ best ideas and tips for iPad integration in their curricular area. Meet a 5th grade elementary teacher, a secondary math teacher, a high school English teacher, a middle school social studies teacher, and a secondary elective teacher. Come see the great things happening in their classrooms with iPads and push your level of technology integration to a higher level to deepen students’ learning!

 
1:1 Science: Unleash the Possibilities
Come and hear about the variety of ways iPads have transformed secondary science classrooms in Minnetonka. You will hear examples from areas of physical science, life science, Earth science, physics, as well as accelerated courses and AP. Leave this session with simple and elaborate ways to integrate iPads in meaningful ways. See how technology integration can transform science education by making the student learning experience more personalized, creation driven, and relevant for today’s learners.

Engaging Learners Through Reflection & Discussion
Come and hear about the variety of ways iPads have transformed secondary science classrooms in Minnetonka. You will hear examples from areas of physical science, life science, Earth science, physics, as well as accelerated courses and AP. Leave this session with simple and elaborate ways to integrate iPads in meaningful ways. See how technology integration can transform science education by making the student learning experience more personalized, creation driven, and relevant for today’s learners.

Two other groups of staff from Minnetonka presented at TIES last week on Implementation of a K-12 Computer Science Program and Crowd-Based Innovation: The Future Is Here. 

In addition to these ideas shared at the TIES conference last week, check out the Top 25 ideas shared at the ETT Conference in San Diego in February by another group of Minnetonka 1:1 teachers. More info about our 1:1 iPad Program can be found here.

Free iBook about Minnetonka's 1:1 iPad Apple Distinguished Program: Four+ Years Transforming Learning

I recently published a newly updated and free iBook about Minnetonka's 1:1 iPad Apple Distinguished Program: Four+ Years Transforming Learning. This interactive book contains 20 short videos that will take you right into our classrooms and allow you to see our program in action. The videos include interviews with students, teachers, and parents provide valuable information and highlight key components of our 1:1 program. The book itself contains background information that provides a detailed understanding of how our implementation started, expanded, and has been further developed over the past four and a half years. 

I've gathered a lot of the data and summarized the results of our program in this iBook. There are many stories and actual example lessons from a variety of teachers and subjects areas will help readers gain an understanding of the entire program. I've shared many of the lessons we have learned and best practices we have developed over the past four+ years of implementing a 1:1 iPad Program. I hope this book helps readers either begin or improve their own 1:1 program. 

The iBook has five sections: Visionary Leadership, Innovative Learning & Teaching, Compelling Evidence of Success, Ongoing Professional Development, and Flexible Learning Environment. These sections were actually set by Apple for their Distinguished Educational Program. For the third time, Minnetonka Public Schools has been selected by Apple as a Distinguished Program for the 2015-2017 school year. More news about this recognition can be found here.

6,000 Hours of Coding this Week @TonkaSchools

Photo by Jeremy Engebretson

(Updated 12-14-15: Minnetonka students completed 7,843 hours of coding last week, surpassing our goal! Watch local NBC News Story here.)

This week is the annual Hour of Code and Minnetonka K-12 students have set a goal to complete 6,000 hours of coding activities. Elementary Technology Coaches Jeremy Engebretson and Andrea Hoffmann, working with each school site's coding coordinator and media specialist, have organized a buffet of options in addition to the the regular coding curriculum that all K-5 students cover. They have visual charts, like the one pictured on the right at Deephaven Elementary, ready to track students' hours with a running total. Students will add up the time they spend in school, at home, and in after school coding clubs during the week.
 
Students actually spend a lot more time throughout the rest of the school year doing coding activities. A year ago Minnetonka Public Schools implemented the state's first K-5 coding curriculum for all students called Tonka <Codes>. In Kindergarten, students use Bee Bots to learn the basics of programming.  In first grade, students use iPad apps like Kodable and Lightbots are used in second grade. Starting in grade three and continuing through grade five, students are using Tynker software. Additional options are in place at each school with after school clubs, such as Minnetonka Coder Dojo and Raspberry Pi. Some schools are using Kano, Sphero, and Finch Robots.  Check out some videos and links below for more information.

See for yourself!  Watch videos about:
Minnetonka Elementary Coding
Media Coverage on What's Cool in Our School
Minnetonka Summer Coding Camp

More resources can be found here:
Details about the Curriculum and Program