All Good Things Must Come to an End

     Saturday was an amazing way to see the fruits of our labor this year. I loved watching my colleagues and cohort members soar during their presentations. The best though was sharing our successes at lunch. I was reminded yet again how lucky I am to work in Littleton with such dedicated, hard working people. I am also excited that I have all these new connections, ideas, and inspirations to use to better myself and my teaching. I feel like I need to say thank you to Kristi, Wendy, and Melissa for all of the positive feedback and ideas this year. These women are inspiring on many levels and I can't wait to collaborate with them more moving forward (even though we are all at different levels). I am truly a lucky girl.
     I also have to say thank you to Dana and Randy for the opportunity to do this work with so much support and guidance. A huge piece to my success was knowing that I could falter or fail and have people there to catch me and hoist me back up. What an incredible resource we have access to!
     I cannot wait to move forward with all the knowledge I gained this year, I am the better for it. I now have a network that has expanded ten fold. I can't wait to find new projects to dip into without fear. What a truly incredible year!!!

Getting Ready to Inspire Some Learning :)

     This Saturday marks the final piece of our cohort journey, the Inspired Learning Conference. I cannot even believe that our year is almost finished. My teammate Erin and I are presenting "Parent Communication Tools" via Google Sites, Sign-Up Genius, and other varied resources. We felt lucky to have a Teacher Work Day today so we could brainstorm our agenda and what we want to post on our resources page for the Conference site. I actually got pretty excited when putting together various bits and pieces today.
   
     I spent over two hours putting together a directions sheet today for creating a Parent Volunteer Sign-Up Genius. I tried to include as many screen shots as possible so people could have the written and visual components to put their own together. It turned out well I think and I am excited for people to use it (I hope it is actually helpful). This has been an invaluable resource in my classroom this year and I hope it can benefit others as well.
Sign-Up Genius Instructions

     I also got the idea to reach out to my current parents and ask them about their experience with the website this year. I have had two parents respond so far and their feedback has been extremely helpful. I have even included some of their quotes on our resource page so that teachers can see how important these tools are when communicating with their parent community. Who better to advocate for this type of communication then the parents themselves. The website can be a lot of additional work at times, but the response I got today reminded me that the time and effort is worth it.

"As a former teacher, a parent and grandparent, I cannot emphasize enough how important communication with parents is – for the teacher, the parent and, most importantly, the child. Miss Wyman’s website is full of information and helpful hints. Classroom websites are a great way to consistently update what occurs each day/week, and allow parents a revealing look as the year progresses. I particularly appreciate the way Miss Wyman ‘tells it like it is’ – both the positive and the negative. Honesty allows the parents a heads up so that they can work on problems the class might be having at home. Most importantly, it’s significant that kids know that you know all that goes on."

That feedback keeps me going and I am excited to translate that enthusiasm to others on Saturday. Here is to hoping that we make a good impression on our peers (as they can be the most nerve-wracking crowd to present in front of).

Good luck to all my fellow presenters, we have come a long way in a year and I am excited to celebrate that with everyone on Saturday!

Inviting Parents Into Our Book Clubs Via Blogging

     Well so begins another adventure into the world of technology. This time though I am not just taking myself and my students but their parents as well. YIKES! We are doing Historical Fiction Book Clubs to end our year of reading. The students have been divided into 5 groups: The Watson's Go to Birmingham, Number the Stars, My Friend the Enemy, The Midwife's Apprentice, and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. To add to our discussion this year I have invited parents to join us. They will read the book along with their students, discuss it at home, and blog with the group.
    Not only am I using Blogger for the first time as a teacher in this kind of way, but now I am trying to explain to parents how to use it as well. Thanks to Dana I gave them some videos she created, but then I also crafted a letter of instructions as well. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. This could go incredibly well or it could crash and burn. I sent out these instructions this morning, which means I could also be fielding a ton of email questions this weekend. No rest for the wicked I guess.
    Like anything else I am excited to see what works and what doesn't so that I can make improvements for next year. I did give parents a choice whether to participate with us or not so that means at the very least I have willing guinea pigs, I mean participants. I am going to attach some of my creation here as well as links to our Book Club blogs. I would love any and all feedback :)

Number the Stars Blog

Homer P. Figg Blog

The Watson's Go to Birmingham Blog

The Midwife's Apprentice Blog

My Friend the Enemy Blog

Parent Instructions Google Doc

Innovation Avenue - What a GREAT Event!

     Well to say we had a great time at Innovation Avenue last night would be an understatement. It was a long 5 hours, but well worth every minute.
     We prepared for the event this past week during lunch. I had a total of 14 students who came in twice to help us. They worked in small groups to pick projects that should be displayed and created write-ups on what Sam and Julia should say. The collaboration was fantastic and impressive. It was fun to hear their take on all the projects they completed this year. It was also incredible that they were willing to give up their time to help us. It gave all of them the chance to be a part of our success at the event.
     The event itself was great. It was nice to spend some quality time with my two students who both needed and benefitted from the chance to shine bright. They were both a little nervous, but by their second round of "talks" they settled in just fine. They each discussed two different projects we worked on this year with technology. They were engaging, clear, and to the point. We had a lot of positive feedback from those who stopped by our table. It was fun to see them get more comfortable and in the groove as the event continued. I was proud of them, proud of our class, proud of my school, and proud to be a part of such an incredible district.
    Because they did most of the talking, I was able to gaze around at some of the other amazing displays. Our schools really do shine and I  got to see what an amazing community of educators I am surrounded by. They are innovative, passionate, inspired, and courageous. They are pushing the boundaries and that is truly inspiring. I was also pleased to see some of my Franklin colleagues there presenting as well.
     I am excited for Sam and Julia to share their experience with the class on Monday. I am printing out some homemade award certificates for them, as well as some for their classmates who helped as well. It was a proud evening for me on many levels, and made me remember why we spend the time and energy doing what we do :). Thanks so much Dana and Randy for this opportunity!

Innovation Avenue

     I am so excited about my class' acceptance into Innovation Avenue this year. We have been doing some amazing projects (especially during Social Studies) and I cannot wait for them to share that. What has surprised me most though, is their desire to present and share. Before I applied I told them about it to get a sense of who would want to go. Because we needed to take two students with us, I figured I should have the student interest first. I was blown away, I had 16 of my 26 students raise their hands to participate. When I sent home a parent permission form all 16 families wrote back to say that they would support their student. I expected a handful, but instead got over half of my class. As a teacher this was a proud moment because the students who signed up ranged in ability and interest level overall in class. I had some shy students volunteer in an effort to push themselves socially, I had some students who applied in order to boost their own self-esteem, I even had some of my struggling students volunteer because they were excited to show off our class. The most crushing part of this process was narrowing it down to two students. I was worried that if they weren't chosen to go they would lose interest with the project.
    Today I announced our representatives and alternates. Those 4 students could not be more thrilled. But what surprised me again was the fact that the other 12 students still wanted to help them prepare and pick projects to share. My class has struggled collaboratively this year in many ways and it was amazing to see this opportunity really bring them together. We will start working this week on what projects and ideas we are going to share. I cannot wait to see what they gravitate towards and how they will work together to come up with a solid presentation. I am excited to facilitate and really put this into their more than capable hands. Technology has really enhanced our learning this year, and what a great chance we have to share that with the district. April 6, 2013 here we come :)

Google Maps!!!

     Now begins my last big project (that I have planned at least) for Social Studies. Google Maps here we come. The students have each chosen a famous Colorado landmark that they are going to research. They will then take their research and synthesize it into a paragraph. They will then be asked to copy this paragraph onto their pin along with an image.

     The best new feature I have found is that you can invite people to collaborate on the map. I sent out the invites and then walked them through how to access the map. The only struggle I found after doing this was that they started pinning too close to Google's pins and then had a hard time re-clicking on their pin. It was very cool to see them find their landmark and their excitement at watching the map zoom in. We also made sure to discuss the importance of including their sources at the bottom of their paragraphs so they could give credit where credit is due. They still aren't citing them correctly, but that is not my focus at this point. The focus is just that they do it. I have included the map on this post, but keep in mind it is still a work in progress. It is a great way for them to learn about amazing things in our state and have a visual link to the geography as well. It really does bring the project to life.



View Famous Colorado Landmarks in a larger map

Blown Away with Technology!

     Last week brought me two amazing experiences in regards to my classroom and technology. Currently in Social Studies, we are learning about Colorado Settler Groups. My class has been researching for sometime in order to become 'experts' on one of the settler groups. The research road was a bumpy one (as expected with 9 and 10 year olds). Some students nailed it, others missed the boat. The positive though was at the end of the 3 weeks they all did learn something about their group that they were able to communicate that knowledge in one of two ways. The first project I had them complete was very open ended. The only directions I gave were "it has to be on your settler group" and "it must involve technology." The project had to be done on their EEE in whatever medium they chose. Part of me was scared to give them this much freedom. I knew they would either rock it or ask a million questions and be terrified. To my pleasant surprise, they took the challenge and exceeded any and all expectations I had. Some students put together Powerpoint presentations (with images) on their settler group experimenting with backgrounds and creating their own outline of what the slides should include and in what format. Other students went a more daring route and used Lucid Chart to create timelines on their group. They even went so far as to include images, change the backgrounds, and even turned their points into little gold pieces for Miners. Some of my students are very artistic and wanted to create comics. I was supportive of this idea but wondered how they could do it with technology. One student suggested drawing the comic panels by hand, taking images of each panel with our Vado HD Camera, uploading them each onto the background of a slide in Powerpoint, and then including text box talk bubbles on top of the image for the words so it could be read more clearly. WOW! They ended up turning out great! I even had one student who typed a full made-up interview with a Colorado settler in Google Docs. This project proved how tech savvy they are, but more importantly it showed me how much choice can engage students in the right situation. It was that moment as a teacher where the "You Do" part of teaching goes well beyond what I could have taught them. There was so much personality in each project as well that it was fun to see each student in their work.
     Our second project was a Cover-It Live debate on Colorado Settlers on Friday. They had to take all the information they researched and put it together into a discussion. We had modeled Cover It Live the week before with an unrelated topic to get them used to the format. I think Dana and I can safely say it was a discussion for the ages. The students discussed buying brand names vs. buying generic. Dana even had to add her own questions into the discussion because they were headed in such an interesting, puzzling direction. Our Colorado Settler debate was wonderful. Each students really got into the discussion and had something important to say about their group. They made strong arguments and really realized that Colorado wouldn't be the same place if each and every group didn't exist together. I even video recorded some of the Fishbowl discussion so I could reflect on their work (since it wasn't documented in the Cover It Live discussion). It really pushed them to dig deep and look at each group in a different light. They are now requesting that we have more discussions on Cover It Live because they feel like everyone has a chance to shine and be heard (I agree).
     I had such a blast going through this with them. Technology can be a pain and challenge sometimes, but at this point in the year it really does show you that laying the right groundwork can produce amazing results in the end.

Research, Research, Research

     Well my large undertaking of teaching research has jumped into full swing this week. I did this project last year but was not very satisfied with its outcome. The benefit of "failure" though, is that we learn from it. My big "ah ha" you could say is that I needed to be more explicit and break it down. I had already introduced what research is in previous lessons, so I spent more time this week on how to do it properly and accurately. I love having online tools to support this undertaking with my students. I showed some wonderful BrainPop videos to re-introduce research and how to do it. I then used/taught about the Research tool in Docs that allows students to research right alongside their document/notes.
     This week we spent time talking about how to narrow our searches to find information we actually need. By narrowing our searches and being specific we would have less to sort through. We then discussed how to scan sources to see if they were quality and if they had information that would help us. So many of my students were writing down everything under the sun, I needed to help them save time (and save my sanity). We discussed to only write down the important things, and to help them with this we developed five essential questions together. I told them that if the information doesn't answer one of these essential questions, they shouldn't spend time writing it down. This helped immensely. Being a history major I am a whiz at research, so I needed to be reminded that I too had to learn how to do it.
     I think the best conversation we had though because of this topic was a topic a discussion about primary and secondary sources. We defined what they were, discussed their importance, and then discussed why it is important to have a combination of both in our research. I love having these kind of conversations with my students due to the new standards. I am excited to see how this turns out and I know there will still be things to learn this time around, but I feel like they are less overwhelmed because of the new things I have put in place this year.

Creating an Audience

   One thing I have spent so much time talking about, but now I need to put into practice, is finding a broader audience for my students work. I have noticed (through the work of other educators) and even small instances in my own classroom, that their work is of a higher quality when it isn't just me looking at it. We have been keeping a blog on our Read Aloud and my teammate is going to have her students look at the posts my students created. I think this will push my students further in the future because they don't want their peers reading work that is crummy. I would like to broaden the scope though, and have parents read their work or other school classrooms so they understand that what they do in the classroom has a broader scope. I am struggling so much with incredibly capable students who are slacking off, not caring, and not producing quality work on a regular basis. I am trying so many avenues to try and push them, motivate them, but I am realizing that I might not be the person to accomplish this (at least not on my own). I need to reach out more to others in our community of teachers to find this audience. This can apply to all subject areas, and goes towards my previous post about collaboration.

I Love My Website!!

    It is hard to imagine my life before my website. I know that sounds a little ridiculous, but it truly has become my home base. Between communicating with parents electronically every week, attaching resources for students to access, and attaching necessary forms/documents, I always manage to use it daily. It has become a common language for my students, parents, and myself and that has been invaluable.
     The uses that have been wonderful the past week are:
1) Linking Google Forms to the site (thank you Dana) for students to complete. These quizzes can be easily accessed and completed, and then I grade them with Flubaroo. This has saved me a lot of time this year and copies.
2) Weekly Newsletter and Parent Updates has allowed me to better communicate with my families. Between my Google calendar with the weeks activities and Specials linked to it, a blog type post with important information listed, and a schedule/homework rundown for every subject, I try to keep parents in the loop as much as possible. Parents have let me know that they appreciate knowing what is going on in the classroom so it feels like everyone is on the same page.
3) Resources...We just received a subscription to the math website IXL. I can find material on IXL that fits our weekly math lessons and link them to my site. This way, when students finish their work, they can go to my site and continue specific practice on IXL. Not only does the site track their progress for me, but it can be matched up to specific lessons! They are loving it and so am I. Using the website as a common point of access makes it easier to use as well.
4) Linking to other places...I use Sign-Up genius for my parent volunteer opportunities and use the link to the sign-up on my website. If parents loose the link I send them in the email they can just go to the site to sign up. This also allows other family members like grandparents to volunteer as well.

     I am so grateful this cohort gave me the time and opportunity to create the resources. I am excited to keep strengthening it and making it a stronger resource for all involved.

Collaboration

     After our half day workshop, it became even more clear to me the power of collaboration. I am so appreciative that two of my teammates are in the cohort with me so that we can have useful, productive conversations. It also allows us to share ideas and benefit from the thinking/work we are doing. I also realized though that outside of my teammates I have so many amazing resources now outside of my own team. Working with other 4th grade teachers on that Saturday really opened my eyes to how much we can help each other moving forward. I shared some of my forms with them and how to use Flubaroo. They were so grateful not to have to reinvent the wheel and I was grateful to realize that we should reach out to each other more often. The blogs are allowing us to be inspired by other amazing educators, but I think it should become more than that. I think if there is a project or topic we are working on we should reach out to some of our other cohort grade level collaborators and ask what they are doing/have done in the past. If they have already created great lessons and tools to use, why not share those successes and save ourselves some work.
     With our time become even more elusive  and our lives becoming even more full with obligation, I feel like we need to start leaning on each other more. We all love to be creative and develop new ideas, but when time is not on our side we should use our resources. If we are expected to teach our children this concept, we should practice what we preach. Now I know personally this is easier said than done, I am horrible at asking for help. This though will become my goal, I want to reach out more to my colleagues outside of my building for ideas/resources that have really worked for them. It seems like something so simple, but I need to nudge myself to do it more often, especially with the use of technology making communication/sharing easier than it ever has been before!

Holy Moly! I Don't Have to Reinvent the Wheel :) Online Resources Galore!

     Amazing Online Resources I LOVE!

• Storyworks Magazine Online:  Oh how I love my Storyworks. Not only is this a great periodical with a mix of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, but they have branched out to include amazing online resources for teachers. An example was in last months issue they had a play called "Medusa's Head." Instead of just reading the play and responding to questions the site provided us with another amazing learning experience. They created a video called "Medusa's Perspective," which allowed the readers to see the same story from the perspective of the villain  It allowed us to have a great discussion on how different points of view can change our outlook on a situation, but it was also a great visual tool for the students to really see how Medusa can be seen in the wrong light. They were then able to compare and contrast the video to the play, which helped to deepen their thinking. My whole team raved about this experience in their own classrooms as well. Having the site attached to the magazine with pre-created worksheets, activities, and videos is such an amazing resource that doesn't create more work and planning for the teacher! 
• Pintrest: I finally bit the bullet and was introduced to the world of Pintrest. While great for recipes and fashion trends, the best feature of this website was its educational resources. Not only are there there chart ideas and inspiration quotes, but they really do have things to inspire you in every area of study. I love being able to look at something another teacher has already done that is tried and true and be able to easily reproduce it myself. I also like that it is another way for me to connect to my colleagues. One of my co-workers did the class on a Friday afterschool as an introduction for all of us newbies. This only took 30 minutes and we were able to play and create on our own. We are also given the opportunity to "follow" our teammates and see what they are working on and creating as well. I also liked the fact that I could create a personal account and a school account. This will allow me to stay school focused on my school account and will let me get recipe and fashion happy on my personal account. I have already found some awesome ideas that I can use for upcoming reading units of study and I can't wait to see what else is out there once I have more time to explore. 

     A random thought also came to my mind today when discussing parent involvement in technology use. I am wanting to maybe create a "Parent University" centered around technology that would allow interested parents to come and learn about some of the tech we use in the classrooms. We could show parents how to log onto their child's Google account so that they can access work at home and learn how to work some of it themselves. I feel like if we are all speaking the same "tech" language it might help parents to support their learning at home as well. This could also be something where parents could share what they are interested in learning and we could branch out from there. I will keep you posted on how this develops, because if we have success with it it might be something other schools could try as well (or are maybe already even trying). We could then share resources so that no one has to do extra work :) Just a random thought to end my technology filled day! 

The Joys of Creating a Presentation

The technology I have tackled in the last few weeks has been asking the students to create a Powerpoint presentation about a Colorado Life Zone. I did this project last year so I was excited to tweak a few things to make it more powerful and meaningful for my students. We began the lesson by spending some time on research, how to do it, what it looks like, and identifying useful sources. We then also discussed giving credit to sites and authors so that it didn't look like our work. The students did well with this and I think it will make for more productive research throughout the rest of the year. I used BrainPop videos to support this learning and that was very successful in engaging the students and putting it on their level.

We then discussed the power of using multiple sources. The students had to take notes on their Life Zone using the text book and an internet resource. This way they really got exposure to why multiple sources are effective to help them to solidify their information gathered. This also allowed us to discuss Primary and Secondary sources, which was a meaningful conversation as well.

The students then gathered their notes using a Tree Map for organizational purposes. Once the notes were done,  they had to put together a Powerpoint presentation on Google Docs. I created a template for them that they could alter and change. We discussed not writing full sentences on our slides and having it be more of a note catcher that we could expand on during our actual presentations. They really took my basic instructions and ran with them. I was impressed to see their dedication and excitement. They worked for three days on them and I never had one complaint that they didn't have enough to do. One thing I added this year was a sources cited slide. This way the students had to cite the web links for their embedded pictures and resources used. We haven't graduated to Easy Bib yet, but I felt like this was a good seg-way to getting them to understand the process of citing.

Today they will be sharing their presentations with other students and seeing what everyone came up with. They will then be providing each other with feedback on their final products. I am so excited to see what they have come up with!

Powerful Understandings

     I can honestly say that I truly saw the power of technology in my classroom recently. We are currently reading a book called Out of My Mind about a girl named Melody who has Cerebral Palsy. The students have been generating some great comments/answers to questions posted on our class Google Group for the book. It is helping to increase their understanding of empathy and what life might be like for people with disabilities, like Melody. In the story Melody's life is changed when she receives a "Medi-Talker," a device which allows her to communicate her thoughts, feelings, and learnings for the first time in her 12 years of life. The students were so excited for Melody and how she was finally able to show the world how much she was capable of mentally. I have a student this year in my classroom who has many of the same struggles as Melody. Her diagnosis is not CP, but similar to it in many ways. I purposely chose this read aloud because of our classroom connection to the story and so that my students could have a more meaningful relationship with their classmate. She does have a talker that allows her to communicate her thoughts and learnings as well. We were given the amazing opportunity to have this student and our speech pathologist come in and demonstrate how a real talker works and how she is able to communicate with it. The students were  now able to see how much their classmate is capable of and were able to learn more about her in the process. She made a joke, told us about her family, hobbies, and school, and was able to answer student questions using her talker. We were all blown away at how easy it was for us to underestimate her. These talkers really do show us how technology has the ability to change lives, it is a powerful tool that allows so many to share themselves with the world. I know that this changed my view of things as it did for my students as well. It will be something that I never forget.
     Another powerful moment came when my students were filmed doing group presentations on Colorado Regions. I used our fantastic camera from the Cohort to film them. These videos allowed us to go back and reflect on their work much like athletes do after a big game. We talked about what a quality presentation looks like/sounds like before watching and then sat back and observed what they did. It was so powerful because they were able to say "Wow, I had no idea I was pacing around while my group members were talking," or "You could hardly hear me because I was too quiet," or "I didn't look at the audience once, I just read from my poster." Watching themselves in action, allowed them to reflect personally and as a class like I have never seen before. I could have given them this feedback on a rubric, but watching it first hand was so much more powerful because they couldn't hide from what was right in front of their eyes. They are now really thinking about what to do next time they present to increase their success and their audiences engagement. I think it also made them more aware of their effort overall and that some of them could have put more into it.
     The power of technology truly is something to be marveled at in circumstances like these. This experience has allowed me to absorb more of that understanding, but still understand that it is a tool to enhance the learnings that are already taking place in life and in the classroom. My student is an incredible person without her talker, her ability to express herself is just enhanced. My students can be powerful speakers/presenters on their own with guidance, but being able to reflect on what they are doing via video recordings allows them to identify areas where they can improve. It has been a powerful few weeks, I can't wait to see what is up next.

On the Fly

     I think so many times I assume that technology integration has to be well thought out, well planned, and well executed by me! But what I learned from a quick meeting with Dana this week was that sometimes all it takes is it becoming a natural part of a classroom.
     As teachers I think we thrive on feedback, to hear what is going well and what can be improved upon. I know we can also be our toughest critics. I  was nervously awaiting my meeting with Dana on Monday ready to tell her that we haven't done anything yet that I thought of as well thought out, well planned, or well executed. When Dana came into my room, she sauntered around looking at some of my students who were completing various activities on their EEEs.  After sending them off to Specials, we finally had time to sit and "hash it out." As I prepared to talk about my future plans of action that would have been well thought out in my head, she came at me with something that completely altered my perspective. She told me "Wow, it is so amazing to see how naturally your EEEs work in your classroom." She admired that my students were able to use them on their own for day to day tasks without having me hover over them. I was amazed that just asking them to do their reading projects and Google Group posts on their own was a step in the right direction. Technology integration doesn't always have to come in the package of an elaborate, amazing project, sometimes it can just be getting students confident enough to use it on their own. I am obviously looking forward to my elaborate, amazing projects moving forward, but it was so great to hear that I was executing more than I thought I was.
     Another revelation I had this week, was understanding that technology can also be integrated "on the fly." It doesn't always have to be well thought out or planned, sometimes it just simply fits. When Dana and I were talking and looking at her more than packed schedule, we found a tiny opening at the end of the day. I had communicated how I wanted to introduce my students to Google Maps before a project later in the year, and Dana was the perfect person to do that (as I am still getting comfortable with that program as well). The question became what do we do on Google Maps? In that instant I said "we are learning about Regions of Colorado, why not create a Regions map?" Dana looked a little shocked and so did I. Did we really just come up with a great introductory lesson in 3 seconds to be executed that afternoon? I am so glad this happened the way it did because it showed me something very important: I don't have to over-think everything all the time. Sometimes the best course of action can strike you like lightning and if you get out of your own way it can turn into something pretty great. The students had a lot of fun with Maps that afternoon and now they have the basic tools they need to complete a more in-depth project later this year. They also were able to experience a map on a different level rather than just coloring one in on a worksheet. My hope is that it gave them a different perspective they may not have had otherwise.
    Who knew you could learn so many great lessons in one day "on the fly."

Tech Tastic

     As our EEEs have become a staple in our classroom, we are all understanding that time is going to be our biggest enemy moving forward. I have really made it a point these last 3 weeks to take the time to get them comfortable with the basics. The students have explored my site, downloaded templates, renamed documents, shared those documents, created collections, and have also done postings in our blog and Google Group. I know that the time and effort upfront will lead to stronger performance in the future. I think what has amazed me the most is how quickly they are able to pick up on most things. Their skill level with technology is higher than I expected. It truly shows that we are living in a new world and that 21st century skills are necessary to foster stronger learning opportunities for these students.
     One thing that has already been a huge high point is their desire to help each other. We have created "Tech Experts" for different areas and they are excited when they are called upon to troubleshoot with another student. I had a substitute Wednesday afternoon and was able to confidently leave Google Group plans for the sub knowing that my experts would be able to solve any problems she couldn't. It went really well overall and I was excited to see that I can lean on them even when I'm not there.
     We have started recording our Mad Minute scores in an Excel Google Doc (which will graph their progress), we have also learned how to reply to comments and posts in our Google Group and Blog. The quality of their comments will still need to be addressed, but overall they are really understanding that this can be an effective communication tool and way to share their thoughts. I am excited to watch this forum grow and see how we able to expand it outward to a greater audience. So many students respond more to the use of EEEs that they are writing more and sharing more of their thoughts. Their engagement level is really unmatched and as a teacher it doesn't get much better than that.

Beginning Tech Integration

     Yesterday I began the process of integrating technology into my classroom via our EEE netbooks. The students not only practiced logging on, but they also organized their Google Docs with color-coded "Collections" that matched their in class folders and spirals. By starting the year off on an organized foot I am hoping we can maintain it throughout the year. I think what is hard is knowing where last years students left and realizing I am starting over from scratch with my new group. Everything takes a long time, but it was great seeing the students help each other with problem solving instead of me having to jump in all the time.
     I also introduced the students to templates and how to download them. We also covered the basics of naming a document and sharing it with me. All of these little things will help us get our feet wet as we move into actual document creation! I again just feel so blessed to have one-to-one student netbook access. It opens our world up and allows each student to dive in and really explore. I also showed them my site yesterday and took them on a tour. It was fun to see their excitement over what I spent my summer creating. I also was reminded that it would be helpful to have so much of what we will need in one place. Now that they have bookmarked it as well that will allow for faster access throughout the year.
     Today we are diving into the world of internet safety. With the help of BrainPOP I am introducing them to Digital Etiquette, Cyberbullying, and Online Safety. This will allow us to have some real dialogue before we use this powerful tool of technology this year. What I am so happy about is that BrainPOP not only has the videos, but they have the activities attached as well so the students and I have multiple ways to debrief and discuss before moving on to the next video. I am hoping this will lay some foundation for a safer experience at school and at home!
    It has been a slow start, but I am so thrilled to be starting the year off with so many good things in place for my students and myself. I cannot wait to reflect back on this first week as see how far they come as the year continues!

A Little Late Because I Am a Spaz :)

     Well I guess doing two postings in May was not what I was supposed to do, although it was very helpful! Sorry for misreading directions Dana, I guess I had a total "student" moment.
     Over the summer I absolutely dove into my May "To-Do" list. I worked diligently on my Google Site and am confident it will add greatly to my classroom this year as I expose my students and parents to it. The thing I have to love about tech is that I was able to share my site during the creative process with other people in my life. Asking friends and family for feedback was invaluable as they are "real world" viewers who could offer constructive criticism from a different lens. I was also thrilled that I was able to recover a lot from my website I left behind in DCounty. My Tech Teacher friend at my old school was able to export most of what I what I wanted. This showed me the power of asking for what you want! I could have done my normal thing and recreated it because I didn't want to bother him, but just by asking him to help out (which he was more than happy to do), he cranked it out in ten minutes! Another important learning lesson on this journey I have to reiterate with my students in the classroom.
     I also began creating project ideas for use this year in my classroom. I have to say it got me excited to start the year off with a bang. Not only do I get to introduce my students to new Google features, but I am also going to have some resources to help them become stronger researchers (which was a huge problem we faced last year). Just by digging around I came to find so many resources that will allow me to address this issue. I love that I am more savvy this year with my Netbooks and Google so that I can start the year off with many things I implemented throughout the year last year. It will be more linear and for an admitted perfectionist that will greatly help my sanity!
    Between my work over the summer and my work on August 9th, I truly feel like I am doing strong work that will make me a better educator. I am using this amazing tool to create more engagement and connection! Yeah 2012-2013 school year, here I come.

Cohort Training

Today was AMAZING!! This is the day I wanted, a day where we get to be trained on the various things we are learning about. Now is the time where I need to set some goals for myself. I now have the knowledge I need and I want to start using it. Here are my goals for the upcoming summer break:
1) Do more work on my site...getting it to look the way I want, getting it to include what I want
2) Create project ideas and start getting the plans and pieces together (so I am set for next year)
3) Start revamping some of my curriculum from last year to include more of the knowledge I've gained
4) Clear out old files/items that I no longer need

It is a lot of work, but I couldn't be more excited! There are a million ideas floating around in my head so I just need to start getting them written down and executed. What an amazing opportunity, I am excited for my students, my teammates, and myself. Time to work :)

Cohort Training Day 1

Today was an opportunity for me to get excited about working over the summer. Who knew that teachers would want to work over the summer, but I DO! Social Studies and Science are two areas that have so much potential for expansion with our new 21^st Century Skills. With changing standards and expectations, I will now be able to create the best possible curriculum for my students. I also love that we are able to be inspired by our colleagues. Seeing their passion for what this cohort has to offer is something that will get me through the rough moments. What was really beneficial for me today though, was our discussion about shifting from a traditional classroom to a 21^st century classroom. Not only did it garner great discussion, but it allowed me to hear how teachers are beginning this shift in their classrooms. I was inspired by the idea of students creating their own textbook using various methods and materials to do this. I was also interested by the discussion my table had about better differentiating for our students in these content areas. This will be something I want to focus on moving forward. I also loved how I ran into a technological issue today because it was a reminder that no matter how hard we work/plan, things might not happen exactly as we want them. Flexibility and breathing will be key moving forward.