This year is already off and running and I’m trying to figure out why August feels like it is already slipping through my fingertips. I spoke in my last blog post about my goals for this year. My next step has been to figure out a tracking method so I could hold myself accountable in reaching those goals. Google Slides for the win! Enter the HyperDoc. For those of you who don’t know a HyperDoc according to Carrie Wilson is,“Transformative digital lesson delivery that shifts the focus from teacher led lecture to student driven inquiry based learning through exploration.”
I loved the idea of using this in the professional world, where I can hyperlink goals and tracking methods in a fun and engaging way. I have set up the slide deck where each goal has its own slide. I can then add links for the evidence that supports each goal. I wanted everything in one place so that I could not only access and enter in the milestones along the way, but my evaluator has access too. Everything is in one place. At a glance now, they can check in to see how I am doing and I can easily track and upload evidence as I go.
I was then further inspired by my friend and fellow educator Don Sturm who is the Tech Integration Specialists for Morton School District. He has an amazing blog post you can find hereall about personalized hashtags. Every educator should read it as it lays out a plan for how you can create personalized hashtags aligned with the Danielson Framework. When you tweet out something that aligns with an item within the Danielson Framework, use the hashtag you have created so that you have an ongoing place to collect your evidence. For example: if you want to share something from 3C, use your last name and then the domain it applies –> #Pitzer3c. No more trying to remember what you named the image or what folder it is in because you can simply link to that hashtag. I decided to add this to the last 4 slides of my Goals Slide Deck. Each component is then linked to the Twitter feed of that hashtag. My thought being again it is all in one place AND I can collect ongoing feedback throughout the year.
Day one of the 2019-2020 school year is in the books. The first day of school still gives me all the feels. It promises a fresh start and provides yet another opportunity to create meaningful learning opportunities for kids. This year marks my 14th year as an educator (11 years as a second grade teacher and entering year 3 as an instructional coach) and I can’t wait to make this year be the best year yet.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to reflect on the journey this profession has taken me so far. I also learned that no matter what happens you can take a risk, put yourself out there, and still be breathing after the fact. 🙂 That being said a new year means new beginnings and an opportunity to grow as a learner and as a leader. New year…new goals…let’s do this.
Our district is celebrating 50 years as a unified community school district and is the inspiration behind my goals for this year. Each goal was set either to spark joy, spread happiness to others, remind me to focus on the positive, give me a focus, and push me outside of my comfort zone. I’m still working through how I want to track my progress towards each goal. I’m leaning toward creating some sort of HyperDoc either in Google Slides or Google Drawings. However, if you have a different way, I would love to hear.
I’m beyond excited to get started and can’t wait to see what this year teaches me!
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of The Food Network. Not only do I learn a ton about food but I LIVE for the competition shows. I can’t wait to see whose dish will come out on top and how will they accomplish what appears to be impossible. How in the world can you combine broccoli, cake, and wild boar into a dish that tastes good? I seriously don’t know how they do it.
Imagine my utter delight when at the #FutureReady conference in Indianapolis, my love of Food Network and education combined forces! Along with my fellow instructional coaches, we participated in an educational version of the TV show Chopped. We had digital baskets of mystery ingredients. Each basket had a content standard, must have ingredients, a digital pantry, and a speed bump. The pantry was filled with digital tools and the speed bumps were scenarios that we might run into while coaching teachers. We had to transform these ingredients into a lesson involving the 4C’s: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. It was awesome! It got my brain thinking of how I could use this with teachers.
Thus the ChoppED Faculty Meeting was born. An elementary administrator had reached out to me about wanting a tech focused meeting and wondered if I would be interested in leading it. My opportunity had arrived to bring ChoppED to my district. I immediately begin brainstorming how to make this work. I wanted teachers to be able to do the following:
1.) Get hands on experience using a tech tool (I chose Google Slides)
2.) Collaborate with their grade level teams on something they could then immediately turn around and use in their classroom
3.) Have access to other grade level’s lesson ideas
4.) Realize that Googles Slides can be used for so much more than just presenting. It can be interactive and collaborative.
5.) Discuss how they could use this activity with students
I then set to work creating my Slide Deck and planning out the costume hook I could use too. 🙂
Once assigned a mystery basket of ingredients, teachers could click on their basket that was linked to their slide within the slide deck. I also created a slide with our pantry of tools. They had to use at least two items from the pantry.
I tried to select tools that weren’t necessarily device specific. I also included a wild card. This item allowed teachers to chose the tool they wanted which would hopefully open the door for them to share their expertise in using it.
Each grade level then had a recipe card with the content standard, must have items (two pantry items of their choice and 1 non digital item I threw in), and a speed bump. I chose an ELA focus standard that was in the same strand across grade levels. This way teachers could see the build within the standard. The speed bump were scenarios that teachers potentially encounter every day and ranged from limited devices in the classroom, last minute assemblies, the need for more digital citizenship practice, and exit tickets revealing a reteach was necessary.
Teachers then had 20 minutes to transform these ingredients into an experience for their students. I absolutely couldn’t WAIT! I used Twitter to incorporate a teaser hook and had my costume and props already for the big day.
It was an absolute blast. My favorite part was watching teachers collaborate together. They were accessing new tech tools, discussing how to best meet the needs of all learners, communicating with art/ESL/special educators, AND running to classrooms to get their supplies to actually create what they wanted their students to create. While teachers were mastering the art of transforming their ingredients, I was able to float around to different groups and share features of Google Slides in the moment. They could then turn around and immediately try it.
At the end of the 20 minutes, teachers were able to look at everyone else’s ideas and celebrate strengths! They also had 6 complete lesson plans that they could use and/or tweak to fit their grade level. Finally we wrapped up with a great discussion on how they could use this Chopped activity with their students. Oh my goodness it was so much fun. Here is the link to my Slide Deck: http://bit.ly/2JO76DS
As I reflect on how it went, there are a few things I would tweak. I want to make sure to tighten up my introduction to the activity, make sure to highlight something from each grade level group, and encourage them to dig deeper in terms how how they could use this with students. I also realized that I now have a great insight to strengths of the staff and ideas for how I can support them in moving forward with technology. A big shout out to the Future Ready conference for inspiring this activity!
It just goes to show that sometimes 20 minutes, a few tech tools, and a collaborative team is all you need to transform a good lesson into a great one!
Last December, I had been pouring over every resource I could think of to kick off the first week after winter break with my students. By a happy accident, I stumbled upon #oneword on Twitter and it was just the inspiration I needed! Our #OneWord2017 Project was such a powerful experience and soon became one of my favorite projects of the whole year. Please feel free to check it outhere.
I didn’t know the impact it would have on my family though until just the other day. I continue to be amazed with the things a 5-year-old mind is capable of. Annnd when the 5-year-old just so happens to be my son, well I tend to be even more amazed. Naturally. 🙂
My husband Derek and I were putting away Christmas decorations when I causally asked my 5-year-old son, Jaxon, what he thought his one word for 2018 was going to be. Without skipping a beat, he said calm. When asked why he chose calm, he said because he needed to be calm when solving a problem. Oh be still my mommy heart! I was blown away that he knew what his goal should be and he was going for it.
Jaxon then proceeded to share that he had an idea for Derek’s word. He thought it should be patience. My husband, being the amazing dad he is didn’t skip a beat either. He said wow buddy that is a perfect word for me and that could really help our family. Instead of being made to feel his opinion didn’t matter, Jaxon now felt empowered. He looked up at me and said what will your word be mommy? I shared that I was having trouble but I kind of liked the word release or let-go. His face squished up. My heart sank but I just thought well I need to explain myself because he didn’t understand. As I opened my mouth to do so he said, “Mommy I think your word should be happy. You’re not happy and you don’t speak happy.”
……………
To say that that comment hit like a ton of bricks would be an understatement. My first instinct was to be defensive. Inside my brain I was screaming, WAIT WHAT?! Happy?! I’m always happy. Every day. I love everything. All the time. Then I stopped. If that were true, why would my son think otherwise? And why would I be screaming inside my head? I feel happy and have so much to be happy about but I must not be showing that enough…or in the right way…or to the right people.
Wow. He was right.
My one word couldn’t be focused on letting go of all these negative things that I thought were the problem. The focus would still be on the negative and that happy feeling wouldn’t project outward. I needed to switch the focus. The focus needed to be on…happy! I instantly pulled him up into a hug and said I’m so happy you are my son! Family hugs ensued and wonderful conversations followed about what we were going to do to achieve our words. We even made posters on Google Slides and introduced Jaxon to the wonderful world of Bitmojis! This one simple family project has already had an impact in our household and will be a memory I will cherish.
With one word, my son reminded me of what we as educators strive to teach our students, sometimes you have to look at a situation through a different lens or even flip it upside down. Sometimes you have to let others be brutally honest and allow them to feel safe and empowered enough to do so. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and listen. Sometimes you have to realize that anyone can change the world…and it can start with one word!
October was always one of my favorite months when I was a classroom teacher because it meant we would be celebrating Diffendoofer Day! I knew that if I wanted my students to become readers for life, I had to find ways to bring books to life! My first #TLAP day came from my love of the Dr. Seuss book Hooray For Diffendoofer Day! The story of students learning in unique and innovative ways spoke to me instantly and I wanted to find a way to show my students that fun is at the heart of learning. This of course meant I needed a costume identical to the main character, Mrs. Bonkers (thank goodness my mom can sew and make last minute costumes) and parent volunteers to donate and assist me in teaching the Diffendoofer School subjects: laughing, smelling, listening, yelling, creating poodles out of noodles, and tying knots. The goal of my day was two fold: learning and fun go hand in hand and that learning how to think prepares you for life beyond our classroom. It will remain one of my absolute favorite days as a classroom teacher. Please feel free to check out our celebration below:
What a wonderful day in second grade land. Inspired by the book Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by: Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith, I recreated the day. The book is all about a school (Diffendoofer School) that is different-er then the rest. They study things such as smelling, laughing and yelling. One day they have to take a special test and they are worried they won’t pass because they are different. If they don’t pass they will have to go to dreary Flobbertown. You do not want to go to Flobbertown because everyone there does everything the same. However, once the test is passed out they see that they were taught how to think and they pass with flying colors. They have a celebration with pizza, milk and cake. They then decide to have a special holiday to celebrate their success!
Our Diffendoofer Day began at morning meeting where Mrs. Ellis, er Mrs. Lowe, introduced the school to some crazy second grade teachers. Then it was off to study the same subjects they study at Diffendoofer School:
1.) Yelling: Mrs. Pitzer’s mom came in and students learned about sound. They learned how to make noise that was loud and quiet. They also learned how to change the loudness and pitch of a sound. Finally they were able to use instruments and their voices to be noise making machines.
2.) Laughing: Students read and laughed at so many Laffy Taffy jokes. Then they picked their favorite one to illustrate and write about.
3.) Listening: Students had to listen carefully to Halloween noises and try to write down as many sounds as they heard as well as draw a picture of the images they created in their minds.
4.) Tying Knots: In this subject, there were bins filled with; twine, string, shoelaces, fabric, craft loops, yarn and curling ribbon. The goal was to try to make something entirely made out of knots. Students discovered which objects tied the best, which objects tied the worst, and that there is more than one way to tie a knot. We could even wear our creation all day!
5.) Noodle Poodles: Spaghetti noodles, spirals, shells, fettuccine, elbow macaroni and more were available for us to make a poodle out of noodles. We then got to name our poodle and write something fun about it that we wanted other people to know.
6.) Smelling: *sniff* *sniff* we tested our smelling skills by sniffing 8 different smells. We had to try to figure out what the smell was and describe the smell using juicy adjectives. We then picked the best and worst smells. Some of the smells included: grape Kool-Aid, onion, vinegar, pumpkin, popcorn, chocolate and cinnamon.
Next it was time for science class by making robotic rats out of soup cans and foam balls. We got to decorate our rat however we wanted adding pipe cleaners, washers, bolts, buttons, googley eyes and sticky foam pieces. It was so fun to create our robotic masterpiece.
After science, we drew pictures upside just like the art teacher Mr. Breeze who drew pictures hanging by his knees. We sat under the tables and drew the life cycle of our robotic rats!
Finally our day ended with some mathematics fun. We traveled through the following math centers:
1.) Math Bingo: We played bingo for prizes but we had to find a problem that matched the number given. We had to really think and practice important skills such as fact families and fact fluency.
2.) Math Games: There were so many games to choose from: Tanagrams, Optical Art, and tricky puzzles. It was neat to see that math can be in board games too!
3.) Candy Corn Math: First our estimation skills were put to the test by trying to figure out how many candy corns fit in the jar. (571 pieces!) Then we used candy corns to measure objects and determine which objects were longer and which were shorter.
4.) Eggo Math: Students worked with a friend to race to 1,000. They used an egg carton to shake buttons to see what numbers they would land on. Next, they added those numbers by practicing their regrouping skills. They then kept a running total to try to get to 1,000 first.
We also could not have had a day like this without parent volunteers and donations of all kinds. Thank you to Mrs. Michanicou, Mrs. Fleming, Mrs. Feuchter, Mrs. Badawi, and Mr. Glover for volunteering your time to help us learn in so many different ways. Thank you also to all who donated to making this a day to remember!
Here’s to a wonderful day filled with so many activities that allowed us to think AND have fun!
This morning as I dropped Jaxon off for Kindergarten, I realized something. While I have always known how important it is to build relationships with parents, today it hit very close to home. As Jaxon walked into his new school the tightness in my chest that was making it hard to breathe, was completely overwhelming. I was trying desperately to hold it together because having been on the teacher side, I didn’t want to be that mom. As we walked in and saw teachers with their smiling faces, that tightness eased. The high fives, hugs, and welcomes he got was the holding it together part I needed. The hey buddy who is your teacher…let’s find your line, was the distraction Jaxon (and mommy and daddy) needed to make sure everyone left with a happy heart. It ensured everyone could breathe.
Long story short, I want teachers to know that everything you do to make the first day and the school year memorable, eases that tightness…it makes it easier for parents to breathe knowing their child is loved! So please disregard the tears welling up in my eyes or any other parent’s eyes. They aren’t necessarily what you think. They are tears of an overwhelming sense of pride in our child, admiration for their teacher’s job, excitement for all the new things they will learn, acceptance that they are growing up, and an overabundance of love because our most precious procession is in your care!
THANK YOU TEACHERS! Thank you for all that you do to create that home for students! Seeing it from this side makes me appreciate it even more!
As my 11th year of teaching second grade is coming to an end and I get ready to being my role as an instructional technology coach, I have found myself reflecting on summer learning. One of the things I always struggled with was how to engage my students in the summer. While I am and continue to be a firm believer in everyone (kids included) needs a break, I also see endless learning possibilities too. However, I have always struggled with how to manage it.
My first idea was a summer camp hosted via email. I emailed the students who had signed up once a week with an activity in reading, writing, math, geography, science, and art. I tried to make then engaging and interactive and usually had anywhere from 10-15 students participate. What I learned was the first two weeks students would be responsive and then the excitement would die down. They also would stop responding because reply alls got a bit out of control and or file sizes were too large to share. Thus the Summer Camp Wiki was born. Here I did the same thing but students could interact and add their creations and discoveries to our wiki. What I learned from the wiki is that this encouraged students to engage for longer time frames and allowed me a better management component. What became problematic at times was students couldn’t be as independent because situations would arise where a parent would need to step in. While this is completely fine and acceptable, I wanted to put the learning more in the hands of the students. This meant I needed students to have more guided practice with me during the school year. This way summer wasn’t about learning a new tech tool and explore new content, it was just about exploring!
After all of my trial an error, my new summer learning was born. Here is what I post on my blog for my students at the end of the school year. No sign up is needed. No tracking is necessary. I participate in all of these two, offer words of encouragement, and email parents to celebrate their successes.
~*It’s Monday! What are you learning?!*~
Greetings Seussville Alumni! I miss you already and I hope your summer is off to a relaxing and wonderful start. Summer is such a perfect time to recharge our batteries, enjoy the sunshine, and slow down a bit. It is also an excellent opportunity to continue learning. Even though you aren’t coming to the classroom every day, you are still learning and might not even realize it. It might look a bit different but can be just as much fun AND help you develop the lifelong learner habit.
Summer is one of the times when I am able to catch up on professional development (learning for teachers). I came across a blog post and some tweets last week that inspired me and I just had to share them with you.
1. #IMWAYR (It’s Monday! What Are You Reading): This is a hashtag on Twitter where people from all over the world are sharing what they’re reading every Monday. This of course got the gears in my brain thinking. How could I incorporate this over the summer? PADLET! One of the very best things you can do this summer is read. Read every day. Read all types of books and texts. Then share your reading with others. Start your very own reading challenge. Will you try to read every Caldecott Medal winner book? Or is there a series of books you have been anxiously awaiting time to dig into?! What better time to do that then NOW! Here’s how it will work: every Monday during the summer, head on over to our #IMWAYR Padlet. Post a picture of what you are currently reading. Then write the title and author and perhaps what you love about it or if you recommend this book to others and why. Your picture should include you and the book in whatever creative way you choose! You could even give a brief summary (What makes a really good summary?) or a short book review (Who can remember how to organize one?). Then if you are ever stuck on what to read next, head on over to the Padlet for some fresh book recommendations. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this Padlet, you can see some posts from Seussville Alumni last summer. You never know when a surprise guest might post on our Padlet too! 🙂
2. Summer Reading Bingo..er…Reado: Are you wanting to read this summer but aren’t sure where to even start?! Have no fear READO is here! I created a Summer Bingo (READO) card. In each tile is a type of book you can read. Be sure to check out the bottom of the card for fun prizes. If you decide to compete for the prizes, please sign the bottom, have your parent(s) sign it, and return it to school on August 15, 2017 (the first day of school!)
3. #KidsWritingLife : I was reading a blog post the other day that inspired me and reminded me that just because it is summer, doesn’t mean our writing lives should stop. They also mentioned a book I had never heard of before called The Scraps Book by Lois Ehlert. In this book the author talks about what inspired her to create art and write books. She even shares some of her brainstorming techniques and story inspirations. This book was by far the coolest book ever and I just had to share it with you too. Check out the video I created of it below:
After you have watched the video, I want you to think about your own writing life. What are things that inspire you? What objects do you have that you could turn into a story?! Have you found a new treasure, made a new memory, or created something amazing? What can you collect or look for outside that could become your next great writing piece? Take what you learned during the school year, inspiration from The Scraps book, and head over to our #KidsWritingLife Padlet every Monday and write! It can be about any topic, any genre, and be as long or as short as you want. I recommend trying all different types of writing this summer and encourage you to write about science, math, social studies, nature, vacation, and the world around you. Feel free to include media (pictures/videos) too if you wish. Please make sure to have a title and include your name on each piece. You learn to write better by reading. You learn to read better by writing. Reading and writing work together to improve your ability to think.
Last but certainly not least, make sure to take some time to relax, play, sit in the sun, draw with chalk, blow bubbles, take a walk, ride your bike, laugh, eat popcorn, have a movie night, and enjoy your family. I miss you but I’m look forward to interacting with you on our Padlets! Happy learning!
Also be sure to check out my Summer Shelfie blog post for another way to encourage reading at home over the summer!
A simple 10 minute phone call just inspired my summer reading challenge.
It is teacher appreciation week and my principal arranged for quite possibly my favorite gift of all time…a phone call from a teacher hero. Yep. I got a phone call from an educator who took time out of their day to talk with me about reading. In fact all of the teachers in my building received phone calls off and on all week thanking us for all that we do!
Donalyn Miller, author of the Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, called me and another teacher on the phone. She thanked us for inspiring our students to read and asked how our year was winding down. It was at this point that the topic of packing up our classroom library came up. We discussed how we dread it because all those books sit there and even though we may have our library open over the summer, obstacles get in the way from making the experience worth while. From scheduling and maintenance work, having students in the classroom to check out books never goes the way it looks in our heads. As we shared that we were getting ready to put our books away she asked if we ever considered sending books home with our kids over the summer. In her research, she discovered that kids should be reading about 5 books during summer vacation in order to avoid regression in their reading. She said what better way to give kids good fit books, then by helping them select books from our classroom libraries. Then after summer, they can return the books to our classrooms in a way that works best. We LOVED this idea! We did briefly discuss what happens if you loose books especially since there is a good possibility a lot of the books were purchased with our own money. While some books may not be returned, isn’t’ it better that the books are in the hands of a child rather than sitting on a shelf collecting dust? We all thought yes!
That last week of school now had more purpose than any other year. Seeing them react when they discovered I was trusting them to take books home over the summer was priceless. I spent it watching and guiding students to select good fit books to read over the summer. The excitement and buzz about books was incredible.
After their 5 books were selected, we had a mini conference. Our conversation centered around if their books were books they could read and understand, books they were interested in, and would all of these books be finished in 2 days or would it take them all summer. Then I took their picture with their books and posted it to Seesaw. This allowed for more accountability in what books they were borrowing, as well as a way to connect with them over the summer.
I then sent home a letter home with families explaining our summer challenge. The key for me too was providing students with a way to share their reading. I encouraged them to post book reviews to the Padlet we had been using all year: #IMWAYR (It’s Monday What Are You Reading). Keep in mind, I wasn’t asking for any reports, or check ins but if they wanted to share their books, great! I just wanted them to read and enjoy reading! Check out our Padlet here: https://padlet.com/spitzer/IMWAYR
While the inner control freak in me worried about what shape will the books would come back in and will they even read, was hard at first. Their excitement and eagerness to select books quickly put that all at ease. At the end of the day it is about getting books in the hands of kids. Its about providing them with opportunities to fall in love with reading. If you are on the fence about this, don’t be. You won’t be sorry!
**Thanks Donalyn Miller for inspiring me to take this leap AND taking 10 minutes of your day to talk on the phone! Thanks Mandy Ellis for setting up phone calls for us. This will go down as one of my favorite teaching gifts of all time!
**In the fall almost all of my books came to back to that classroom library (since I had changed roles to being an instructional technology coach) Those that didn’t I chalked up to…they were in a place where books were needed! 🙂
I recently went on maternity leave from February-March. Since I am a piloting teacher with touchscreen Chromebooks, tech is embedded everywhere into my classroom. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious, excited, and nervous to leave a long term sub with all of this technology. I was so excited for students to show the sub all the amazing things they could do but anxious and nervous about how it would be managed. The good news is my students had been using their devices 1:1 since the first day of school. I knew in August I would be leaving around February, so I made sure to utilize the gradual release of responsibility model. This allowed me to model using technology, provide guided instruction, and then independent time to show me what they had learned. It was this groundwork that showed students how the devices should be used as well as provide them with time to learn how to be mature digital citizens.
I learned a lot throughout this process and wanted to share tips and tricks to help you if you are 1:1 and in a similar situation as I was.
1.) Binder: I left a binder with everything in one place. This included passwords to any and all websites, a brief explanation of how I use them, and guidelines that students should be able to follow.
2.) Consistency: I tried very hard not to introduce any brand new technology while I was gone. This allowed me to let my sub know students who were experts in a particular program, device, or tech tool. These students served as helpers, teachers, and or trouble shooters. There is something to be said about exploration and allowing students to do this with new technology. However, I felt that while I was gone, the sub would appreciate students having prior knowledge. I feel this would depend on the level of tech
3.) Screencastify Videos: Before I left, I did record some videos using Screencastify. This allows you to record your screen, just yourself and or both. You can use it for free for up to 10 minutes of recording time. It automatically saves to your Google Drive and then I can share it with my students. If they needed help remembering how to use a tool or turn in assignments, this video was at their disposal. While I realize not all leave for teachers is planned, making a few of these videos to have in your library is a great idea. If your leave is planned, you can create a video library. This way a sub can play you teaching a mini lesson! Once these videos are made, you will have them forever. You may even want to make some generic ones that could be watched if need be.
4.) Organization: Oh my goodness your tech must be organized and easy to follow. In my situation, the long term sub was able to text/email me with any questions if there was a problem. If you don’t have that option, I recommend making sure all things are published in your learning management system so students can access their assignments. I also recommend your learning management system be up to date and laid out in a way that anyone could follow. My district uses Canvas, so it was vital for me to make sure modules, assignments etc. were published. If it wasn’t published, students couldn’t view it and this caused a disruption in learning. I twas because of this I plan publishing everything but set it up so students must complete one module and all of the assignments before moving on to the next module.
5.) Classroom Management: I left a Chromebook reflection sheet that students would have to fill out if they were breaking any of our expectations. I also outlined acceptable use policy and basic guidelines for what students should be expected to do independently. I placed this in my binder. Our district also uses GoGuardian and this was an amazing tool. It allows the teacher to see all the screens at once, push out messages and announcements, and give you a daily report of any and all websites visited. I didn’t leave this log in information with my sub but as I become more familiar with this tool, I feel this would be a great things for subs to have access too.
6.) Let it go: This of course was and always seems to be one of the hardest things for teachers to do. As I looked through assignments that students did while I was gone, I noticed it wasn’t quite up to my standards and or not completed in the way I thought they should have been. I truly think this is because no one will ever replace the classroom teacher. No matter how wonderful your sub is, they aren’t exactly like you and their knowledge base or tolerance level or even philosophy may be different. That’s ok. There were some assignments that were a wash or didn’t go like I thought they would. I took away a few things from this:
~~Even if an assignment was a failure, it didn’t mean the activity was a failure. Students still were receiving practice and opportunities to utilize technology and enhance their learning.
~~Some of my rubrics and directions were unclear. It made me re-evaluate rubrics, criteria, and steps students should take with a more reflective eye. I also had stopped providing video directions rather suddenly. Next year, I plan on gradually moving toward written directions.
~~Less is more. Some of the reasons why things didn’t go as planned, is students were overwhelmed and or there were too many steps to follow. This allowed me to really reflect on making directions concise and more clear.
As educators, we all know that having subs is hard. I am however, so grateful for this experience. It really allowed me to look at my tech from an outsiders prospective and be more reflective. I can’t wait to apply these to my lessons for next year so having a sub in my room can be as seamless as possible!
What tips do you have for leaving technology for subs? Has anyone tried leaving a Substitute HyperDoc? I recently saw a teacher who created a HyperDoc for her students to work on throughout the entire day. I would love to know what the management looks like and the content involved
When you have known for a couple of months that Matt Miller, author of Ditch that Textbook, will be presenting at your teacher’s in-service AND giving a keynote….this day can’t come soon enough! My school district had the pleasure of having Matt Miller visit our school district, and I’m still jazzed from this amazing day of PD. One of the things that I enjoyed the most was having the opportunity to select the sessions that were most interesting to me. It just goes to show, that like students, teachers want to feel that ownership in their own learning too.
The day started by making sure to get their early to meet this amazing author!
Next up an amazing keynote and a day of presentations. The staff was able to choose one of Matt Miller’s sessions and then the rest of the day was spent learning from other teachers in our district. I attended:
1.) Google Genius: Practical Google Activities to Use Tomorrow
2.) Real Tech Real Talk: Moving Beyond the Basics (I presented w/ my sister on Google Docs, Screencastify, Google Slides, HyperDocs, and Padlet.)
3.) SAMR Model & Blooms
4.) Power Up: Personalize Your Own PD
I left this teacher’s institute re-energized, pumped up, and in an amazing mood. It was positively refreshing to see teachers sharing their areas of expertise and learn new things at the same time. Not to mention meeting an author whose message is inspiring! I am hoping there can be more PD in our district like this and more opportunities for us to continue down the path of becoming connected educators.
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