The 6 P's of Genius Hour

Genius Hour is the priority of my classroom. In this session, I will explain how she usea Genius Hour to encourage my students to be innovative and think differently. I will share how teachers can get started with Genius Hour and implement it successfully in their classrooms. To help others understand the Genius Hour process, I created 6 P's - Passion, Pitch, Plan, Project, Product, and Presentation. I will explain this process and share practical ideas with advice about how to weave the standards into each project. I will also discuss the importance of outside experts as well as where and how to find them.

Speaking Topics - Workshops, Conference Sessions, Teacher Trainings

Tools of the Trade

Teaching gifted students requires us to be creative and find ways to engage them even when they are not in our classrooms. Find out how I use technology to engage my students even when they are in their regular classrooms. In this fast-paced session, I will share how I use specific technology tools to challenge gifted students.

I believe that if what we are teaching in our classrooms is not meaningful for our students, it is a waste of our time and theirs. My message is one that encourages risk-taking and creativity in the classroom while giving ownership of the learning back to the students.

I love to give audiences a presentation that they will not soon forget. By sharing stories and personal experiences, I connect with the audience and offer practical advice about engaging today's students by providing meaningful learning opportunities. Using humor and personal stories, I give presentations that are both engaging and enlightening for the audience.

Speaking Information

The 4 C's + 1 R - Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Reflection

I believe that the 4C's+1R must be a part of every classroom today. Our students are living in a world that will require them to do so much more than remember facts and details. In this session, I will explain each of the 4 C's as well as how they can be implemented into the classroom. I will also spend time talking about the importance of reflection and why students must reflect in order to experience meaningful learning.

Reflection - The Missing Piece to the Learning Puzzle

John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on an experience." In this session, I will explain how I use reflection to make the learning more meaningful for my students. I will share how to practically use blogging in your classroom to allow your students to reflect as well as several other strategies that give my students an opportunity to take their learning to the next level.

Meaningful Makerspaces

Makerspaces have become very popular in education and seem to be popping up in schools all over the world. While designing, creating, and making are all very important for our students, it is also important that we are engaging them in activities that are meaningful and relevant. In this session, I will explain why it is so important that our students have time during their school day to produce. I will discuss what a meaningful makerspace looks like and and what is needed to make it successful. I will also share a variety of ideas for creating a makerspace that will give students that opportunity to focus on the skills that they need to be future-ready. I will discuss how to implement the 4 C's - collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking - into a makerspace as well as how to encourage students to be willing to take risks and learn by doing.

Genius Hour and the Technology to Make It Happen

One of the questions that I am asked the most about Genius Hour is how to manage all of the different projects. In this session, I will share the technology that her students use to document progress, reflect throughout the process, and collaborate with outside experts. I will also share project examples and the technology that we use to share their products with the world.

Speaking Topics - Keynotes

Andi's Past Events

2012 Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Conference - Global Encounter

2012 Texas Association of School Administrators MidWinter Conference - Global Encounter

2013 Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Leadership Conference - Global Encounter

2013 Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Conference - Using Edmodo to Engage Students

2014 BAM! Radio Network with Don Wettrick - Using Innovations/Genius Hour in the Elementary Classroom

2014 Edmodo@10 Conference - Meaningful Assignments Using Edmodo

2014 TAGT Leadership Conference - Cultivating Creativity Through Innovations

2014 Region 12 Leadership Conference - Genius Hour

2014 Baylor University Gifted Conference - Technology for the Gifted Classroom

2014 Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Conference - Technology for the Gifted Classroom

2015 Fort Worth Technology Conference Fort Worth, Texas

May 5th, 2015 Region 10 Technology Conference

June 12, 2015 Region 9 GT Conference Wichita Falls, Texas

June 16, 2015 Region 12 GT Conference Waco, Texas

June 24, 2015 Region 7 GT Conference Kilgore, Texas

July 14, 2015 Region 12 GT Conference Waco, Texas

July 23, 2015 Region 14 Technology in the Gifted Classroom Abilene, Texas

July 28 - 30, 2015 TEKS Resource System Conference San Antonio, Texas

August 3-4, 2015 Region 12 Diversity Conference Waco, Texas

August 5, 2015 Region 18 GT Roundup Midland, Texas

August 10, 2015 Region 12 GT Conference Waco, Texas

August 11, 2015 Region 12 GT Conference Waco, Texas

August 18, 2015 Region 3 GT Conference Victoria, Texas

August 19, 2015 Region 3 REAL Conference Victoria, Texas

September 29, 2015 Superintendent Leadership Conference Port Aransas, Texas

December 2-4, 2015 TAGT San Antonio, Texas - Institute Speaker

February 2 - 4, 2016 TCEA Austin, Texas

May 14, 2016 Houston Co-op

June 6 -8, 2016 Region 9 Wichita Falls, Texas

June 14, 2016 Region 12 Waco, Texas

June 16, 2016 Region 14 Abilene, Texas

June 17, 2016 Area 12 Conference, FOCUS Waco, Texas

June 20, 2016 Region 7 Kilgore, Texas - Keynote

June 23-24, 2016 Region 11 White Settlement, Texas (ElementaryCon)

June 30, 2016 Region 3 Victoria, Texas

July 12, 2016 Region 12 Waco, Texas

July 14, 2016 Region 17 Lubbock, Texas

July 20, 2016 Houston Area COOP (HAC) Houston, Texas

July 21, 2016 Spring Branch ISD Houston, Texas

August 1, 2016 Region 14 Abilene Texas

August 8, 2016 Region 12 Waco, Texas

August 9, 2016 Region 12 Waco, Texas

August 11, 2016 Region 17 Lubbock, Texas

August 12, 2016 Harmony Public Schools Dallas, Texas

August 16, 2016 Region 3 Victoria, Texas

August 18, 2016 Santa Rita Elementary School San Angelo, Texas

November 3-6, 2016 NAGC Disney World, Florida

November 30 - December 2, 2016 TAGT Dallas, Texas

January 19, 2017 Pasadena Creativity Potpourri Pasadena, Texas - Keynote

June 15, 2017 Judson ISD - Genius Hour

June 25-28, 2017 ISTE - Genius Hour San Antonio, Texas

July 9-10, 2017 Irving ISD - Genius Hour Irving, Texas

Consulting

Genius Hour

I will visit and share the how and why behind Genius Hour as well as give specific suggestions for introduction and implementation. I will work with eduators to help them understand how to use questioning strategies and other techniques to tie the standards into student projects. I will also share the importance of outside experts as well as the tools that teachers can use to connect with them. The consultation will also include introduction to the 6 P's of Genius Hour, which is a process that I created to make Genius Hour manageable for teachers and meaningful for students.

Meaningful Technology

Technology is a waste of everyone's time if it's not meaningful. This consultation involves sharing some of my favorite Classroom Power Tools. I will introduce those involved to the some of the best tools that exist to engage and help students make connections with what they are learning. I can answer questions or even look at specific lessons and content to make suggestions regarding the technology that will be most meaningful for students. This can be done with departments, grade levels, or even specific teachers.

Cultivating Creativity through Genius Hour

Creativity is a difficult thing to teach and is not often a priority in many classrooms. However, creativity is a skill that many of our students will need to be successful in the future. Genius Hour gives students an opportunity to learn by applying the standards and creating a project based on their passions. In this session, I will share how to tap into the creativity that you might not even know exists in many of your students. I will share practical ideas and suggestions for starting and sustaining a successful Genius Hour in your classroom.