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Good Morning,

I believe it would be helpful to use Open Space when I am working with content-specific groups to share resources they have used, or plan to use in the future, from INFOhio.  This would be a nice repository for resources. 

I will share Open Space groups with others and discuss their useage and the resources available.   

I believe that Open Space would be a great place for creating content specific spaces for groups to collaborate and share resources. Thinking ahead, this would be a great addition to any professional development/presentations, I could house the presentation and all additional resources in one place for those involved to access. Being part of an ESC and presenting to many different educators from many different districts and schools this would be a central location for resources and a great opportunity for other to connect, collaborate and share ideas and resouces. 

I really like that idea! It would keep the learning going after the scheduled PD is over.

First, I'm excited to use Open Space to connect with other educators and gather resources from others to support learning. 

The resource that I think I wil share with others is definitely the instructional resources page within RemoteEDX. This will help teachers find the resources they need that have been vetted for their high quality and linkage to pivotal learning standards. 

In the future, I'd like to use Open Space Groups as a tool for asking questions and staying up-to-date on best practices through the discussions tab. These resources will be a great way to connect people who have the same goals in mind and be used as a collaborative tool to work through any questions or ideas individuals may have.

I was very interested to learn about Connectivity Champions and Support Squad and would like to refer those services when I see a need. Those two services will benefit families with students who need to expand their learning at home.

As districts continue to adjust learning models as we (hopefully) near a post-pandemic world, I feel that the Connectivity Champions will still continue to play a vital role in keeping our families in need connected to the internet while local resources are potentially reallocated. 

I agree, BJ. There is a great need for the support provided by the Connectivity Champions. The pandemic really shed some light on the areas of inequity!

1.  The Open Space Group that seems to have the most utility for my particular circumstance is the Math Curriculum Adoption Supports.  Because of the funds distributed due to COVID, many districts are evaluating new curriculum resources and provided professional development related to that adoption.  The resources provided in the Math Curriculum Adoption Supports group provide both systems support as well as the "why" behind a new resouce adoption.  Both will help me facilitate a professional dialog centering on choosing the best resource based on a district's needs rather than an endorsment from a "learned" person.

2.  In my area, te resource most applicable under the RemotEDx Exchange is the Connnectivitiy partners.  Although my immediate area is characterized by ubiquitous connectivity, that is certainly not true everywhere.  In fact, it does not take much seaching to find holes in connectivity made by both geography and finance.  Therefore, the Connectivity partners serves as an important resouce for students and families to ensure equitable access.

It is impressive to see the range of topics in the Open Space Groups.  Then within the groups, there are so many resousces, activities, lessons, units, videos, etc.  As a school leader, I could point myself and other educators to groups that would support them in their roles, professional growth plans, professional development, among other things.  On top of the materials, to be able to connect with like minded professionals would be valuable.  In my search, I found Read, Write, Think to be a resource that I would like to explore.  To see materials so thought out and well planned would make a teacher's life so much easier.

I agree with your statement on the range of topics.  I think this is incredibly beneficial for educators who may feel like they "stand alone" in their school/district - particularly with specials teachers who may be the only person teaching a content area in their school/district.

I think the Open Space groups could be extremely beneficial for my upcoming OPES 2.0 Implementation Groups. We will still hold our meetings via Zoom, but this could be a place for people to share resources or pose questions to the group in between sessions. Especially for busy administrators, having a place they can access whenever it is convenient, and receive notifications when materials that are applicable to them have been posted, will be a time saving feature for sure.

I have used the Connectivity Champions in the past, but I still believe that is an amazing program to support our students and families. While the majority of instruction has returned to in-person, there are still opportunities for learning that occur virtually. Ensuring equitable access for all is something that needs to continue post-pandemic (if there is such a thing.)

Love the idea to use Open Space groups fro your OPES work! 

I agree that the Connectivity Champion program is still very important.

I really like the idea of using Open Space Groups for future professional development sessions. Not only could I house materials for each session I present, but participants could get a quick overview of the platform and then start using it for their own resources and collaboration or join groups specific to their content areas or grade levels. I just need to pull the trigger and make it a part of future agendas.

That is a great idea, Michael! We are incorporating Open Space groups into most of our trainings, including our INFOhio Learning Pathways classes. It is a great way to form a community of practice!

I like the idea of using Open Space with grade level teams from different districts to collaborate ideas. For example, many small districts only have one social studies teacher at the 5th grade level, per say. This teacher might feel like she is on an island by herself, but if she were introduced to Open Space with other 5th grade social studies teachers from other school districts, this could really help to feel connected, get ideas, and resources to help with standards.

Lisa - that is a great way to use the groups in Open Space. As a former educator in a small, rural district, I was often alone in my planning. Using OS to connect educators with common roles would help them get the support they need!

My first goal is to go in and see what other groups are already available for me to join. Once I have that, I hope to engage in groups where I can contribute as well as gain insight to what's currently taking place in schools and classrooms in Ohio. 

I have content that I have created that I am willing to share in the Google group. I will also look for other ways I can share resources with others. I believe my content will benefit classroom teachers because they are complete resources. The teacher would simply need to make a copy and use with their students. 

I feel that Open Space Groups will be a great way to provide a continual forum for some of the groups of STEM teachers that I work with so that they can stay connected and share ideas with one another in-between quarterly meetings.  I also think I could create Open Space Groups for participants of PD sessions as a way to continue the work and conversation of the specific training.  This could have a very positive impact on professional learning in the sense that individual sessions wouldn't seem to end after the designated session does.

Natalie - Using Open Space groups to continue the learning would be an excellent use for this space!

Open space groups are a great way to share resources and connect with other like individuals. As an ESC, we facilitate networks where we connect these like people to other like individuals. Having our teachers join the open space groups will provide a larger venue to collaborate across the state. This will impact their potential for increased professional learning.  I will be sharing the link to the various groups so our teachers can find essential resources shared through the platform.