Post 6: My A-Ha Moment!

With this being my last technology class of my Master’s Program, I’m going to apply my A-Ha moment not only to this particular class, but to all my technology classes as a whole. I have discovered that technology is not just another “hoop” for us teachers to jump through and try, but it is a gift to truly enhance our students learning. Starting off in my technology classes, I looked at it as just one more thing to incorporate in my classroom. New applications and tools scared me, and I felt like I didn’t have the time to create all these new activities for my students using something they (and I) were not familiar with. But, as I have gone through these classes, specifically this final class and ReDesigning my instruction, I have seen just how much technology allows for learning opportunities for my students. For example, as I was ReDesigning my unit I looked at ways that allowed more student independence through technology by allowing them the choice in how they wanted to obtain the information and they will also have the choice in how they want to present information to their classmates. At the beginning of this “technology journey” for me, I didn’t give my students enough credit. I thought that teaching them one more tool would do nothing but distract them and I would be troubleshooting more than exploring, but I WAS WRONG. Does student us of technology have it’s challenges, of course.. but so does the Teacher’s Lounge copy machine. There will always be challenges, but I truly feel that incorporating technology is far more a positive than a negative. I feel that through this crazy year that we have endured, I have also gained so much. I have learned that the unknown is scary, but rewarding. That not all technology tools for students need to be super creative in order for them to gain a lot out of it. And most of all, I learned that students + technology = a whole lot of positive learning!

Post 5: Asking for Help

This week I tweaked my ReDesign project by adding in photos of different locations within the Regions of the United States. Being that I have not had the opportunity to travel to all 50 states, and I wanted to make this personal to my students, I decided to ask for help. One simple text to my colleagues and I was FLOODED with photos and descriptions of locations all around the United States. I often feel that asking for help, especially this year, is that of a burden on other teachers  and friends because we are all so busy and just trying to “keep our heads above water”. This week I learned that even in the toughest times us teachers stick together and always come through for one another. It’s crazy to think about what we have all been through this last year, but even crazier to think about where I’d be without my awesome colleagues that I can always ask for help. Below I have attached a Padlet link that I’d like to hear your thoughts on. The prompt attached may take you a little out of your comfort zone, but I am just curious to know, “What is something you have asked a colleague to help with that you are SO glad you did?”. Thanks in advance for sharing!

https://padlet.com/starkeramy/5zp0nxfs9oywnuol

Post 4: Testing my ReDesign

This week I have been working with one of my colleagues to test out my ReDesign Unit that she wants to use with her 4th grade class as well. As previously talked about, I am adding in some key digital components along with a lot of student choice for a Regions/States Geography Unit in my 4th grade classroom. I teach in a Central Illinois low income school district, in a community that I now call my home. This has been my only job since I graduated college, and since being a teacher here I have learned so much about my community, but also the students that come from it. Having talked to my students and developed a relationship with them over the past year, I have learned that most of them have not visited another state before. When posed the question, “What is your favorite place to vacation to?”, I had 5 answer Bloomington because that’s that furthest they had been. I had 2 that had never left our town, and the rest answered that they had been to states such as Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Florida. No one had every been to the east or west coast, and I knew then that I had to find time to teach this Unit. Through talking to my colleague and reading the comment left by Amy on my Ideate Phase post (Thanks Amy!), I decided to accumulate different pictures from the various regions in the United States from my own personal travels, and photos of the travels of my colleagues here at school. I am going to add these photos into the Google Slides presentation that I will doing the bulk of my instructing from, and it’s my hope that this will encourage classroom discussions beyond basic facts of the regions. I want to share my own personal experiences, but also allow them to share the places they have been (or know something about), and ASK QUESTIONS!! I am really looking forward to this tweak in my design and also for getting to know more about this group of students that I have now!

Post 3: My ReDesign Idea

I don’t know about in your school’s but in mine, we have pretty much done away with Social Studies. Growing up I HATED Social Studies, but as I have gotten older I have really grown to appreciate it, and I have realized it’s importance. Having had such a different schedule this year (we only go 8:30-1:45) I have had to find time to incorporate Social Studies when I can. For my ReDesign project, I chose one of my favorite Social Studies units- States and Regions. As I began brainstorming about this ReDesign, I talked to my students. Although only 9-10 years old, they are VERY opinionated in their learning styles. Through our discussion, I realized that I needed to give them more freedom. I didn’t want Social Studies to be an absolute dread for them, as it had always been for me. For this assignment students will choose how they want to learn. They can learn digitally, or using paper/in classroom materials. After studying each of the regions, we will dive into the states, but they will do so independently, with just an outline of ideas I want to see provided by me. They will then present this information in whichever format they choose. Once done, students will start to study the states based on location and we will end the year with the State’s Test (not for a grade, but for a chance at a Pizza Party during lunch). I am looking forward to this new format and seeing my student’s individuality’s shine in their presentation.

Post 2: Our Classroom’s Obsession: BLOOKET!

I want to preface this with the fact that I teach 4th and 5th graders who have been partially remote since last March (until this March) and we get excited very easily! A couple months ago a good friend of mine who teaches in Nashville told me about an online game program called Blooket. When she brought it up to me I honestly wanted no part of yet another “new” program for this year, as I’m sure we can all agree we have had more than enough “new” thrown at us. But then came the February classroom slump. We all know what I mean… no motivation from kids (and sometimes even staff), the annoyance of being stuck indoors and always being cold… the month that is the shortest but drags on to be the longest.. yes, in February I took the plunge and we tried Blooket. My kids quickly became obsessed. Blooket is a program that in my opinion is a cross between Kahoot and Quizizz. It’s super user friendly, competition heavy, and a great motivational tool for the students (and teachers). There are sets that are already made for you to try with your class, or you can create your own. When the students are answering questions, they will have the opportunity to compete with classmates in one of the game formats which can of course include some stealing of points or gold in the Gold Rush Game, or you can distract the class during the Racing Game. It’s a lot of fun, and a great motivational tool, no matter what kind of slump you may be in. 🙂 Let me know if you check it out with your class!

www.blooket.com

Post 1: Welcome to my classroom!

Click HERE to access a video about my space!