Psychhhhh.... You thought I was going to really jog.
PYP and Teaching Language
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Puzzles are fun.
White puzzles are torture. Just like earthquake drills during the last weeks of school.
provided by flash-gear.com
provided by flash-gear.com
provided by flash-gear.com
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
pixenate
I think pictures with hearts around them are obnoxious. Even when they're pictures of my own child who is just that adorable. Still obnoxious.
If you don't think it's obnoxious, use pixenate.
If you don't think it's obnoxious, use pixenate.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Slideboom...again
We're getting all excited about the recording...
Get it While it's Hot- Intro with Recording
View more presentations or Upload your own.
Good and Bad
Bad first.
An avatar that is an alien. How cool is that, right? Maybe, if I didn't have a sick baby at home to whom I'd rather be attending. And maybe, not even then.
Good second.
My first group of students who I taught during my student teaching are graduating from high school. In most schools, once those students leave the elementary school campus, a teacher might never see them again. At a school like ours, where our students are our students from when they're 2 to when they're 18, these kids keep coming back. It's amazing to see the fifth grader who caused problems anywhere and everywhere has become a grown man, with a beard ew, but is respectful, kind, caring and successful. It's so rewarding to have an 18 year old giant say, "Miss, remember when you helped me with my project when the rain ruined it?" It makes you feel incredible to see the smile when a student tells you his name and you respond with, "But, you had glasses. Didn't you?" "Meeeeeees, you remembered!"
Adults are forgettable. Kids are not. We, as educators, have the opportunity to change or affect a child's life, to burn something into their memory that will last forever. We have that opportunity every day. What a privilege. And, as they say, with great privilege, comes great responsibility. Teachers, make that memory positive. Make it a memory that will make you smile seven years from now. Make it a memory that turns a Monday that was fixing to be ugly, into one of the best days of the year.
An avatar that is an alien. How cool is that, right? Maybe, if I didn't have a sick baby at home to whom I'd rather be attending. And maybe, not even then.
Good second.
My first group of students who I taught during my student teaching are graduating from high school. In most schools, once those students leave the elementary school campus, a teacher might never see them again. At a school like ours, where our students are our students from when they're 2 to when they're 18, these kids keep coming back. It's amazing to see the fifth grader who caused problems anywhere and everywhere has become a grown man, with a beard ew, but is respectful, kind, caring and successful. It's so rewarding to have an 18 year old giant say, "Miss, remember when you helped me with my project when the rain ruined it?" It makes you feel incredible to see the smile when a student tells you his name and you respond with, "But, you had glasses. Didn't you?" "Meeeeeees, you remembered!"
Adults are forgettable. Kids are not. We, as educators, have the opportunity to change or affect a child's life, to burn something into their memory that will last forever. We have that opportunity every day. What a privilege. And, as they say, with great privilege, comes great responsibility. Teachers, make that memory positive. Make it a memory that will make you smile seven years from now. Make it a memory that turns a Monday that was fixing to be ugly, into one of the best days of the year.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Prezi
Hey y'all. I know you're just waiting for the next little gold nugget of technological whimsy I am about to share. I won't disappoint.
Here is a prezi. It's like a PowerPoint that had way too much coffee.
Here is a prezi. It's like a PowerPoint that had way too much coffee.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
SlideShare
Oh hey, hey. You can share PowerPoints on the internet. Say, whaaaat? Check it out. I did an activity with 5th graders about how to create guiding questions for their inquiry about economic activities.
Get it While it's Hot- Intro
View more presentations or Upload your own.
1st Grade Literacy
We have started a journey at the American School. That journey is a marriage of two great things- inquiry-based learning and balanced literacy. Marriage is probably actually the very best way to describe it because it's hard work, not always fun, and I'm in it 'til death do us part.
When I was home for Christmas, my sister graciously invited me to her classroom (or I told her that I was going...details, really.) I got to see balanced literacy in action. Since then I was also able to see it in action in Monterrey. I am sold. It works. Kids love to read and write and know why they love to read and write.
Here are some pics from the time I spent in her class. Not because you are especially interested, but because I have to post this for the class I'm taking.
1st Grade Literacy on PhotoPeach
When I was home for Christmas, my sister graciously invited me to her classroom (or I told her that I was going...details, really.) I got to see balanced literacy in action. Since then I was also able to see it in action in Monterrey. I am sold. It works. Kids love to read and write and know why they love to read and write.
Here are some pics from the time I spent in her class. Not because you are especially interested, but because I have to post this for the class I'm taking.
1st Grade Literacy on PhotoPeach
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Think
If I have learned one thing this year, it is to question. The "Why" (or "for why" that I get from my little bilingual mexi-gringa of a three-year old) that makes me insane as a mother, is the same little word that makes growth happen in a school.
Why are we doing this? What is the purpose? How will it help us be better? What are you getting from this? Do your kids know what their doing and why?
This video from Sir Ken Robinson about divergent thinking has floated around Facebook and other media and was presented to us during our class today. I find it to be both inspiring and concerning.
Inspiring, because this is what we strive to achieve in our school each day. It is what we value. It is our objective. Students must learn how to solve problems in many different ways. Creative problem solving is where we get some of the best and most awe-inspiring innovations known to man. I mean, think about it, some guys sitting around drinking beers one afternoon must have thought, "Hey, what if we make telephones that you can walk around with?" Someone had to think a crazy thought to make that happen. And, although most of the general population considers that to be a pretty useful and nifty tool, I'm pretty certain more than a few people thought that was insane and completely impractical.
I find the Ken Robinson video concerning because if it is a true reflection of what is happening in our schools, we should be very scared for our future. I know that it is not the reflection of the teachers and students at my school. Do we wish the kids were a littler calmer, a little more obedient? Sure. That just makes life easier. But, if I have to decide between robot children who sit silently and think whatever they've been told to think or children who can't ask enough questions, have opinions, share ideas, think critically and genuinely want to live in a better world, then I choose the latter. Hands down.
Why are we doing this? What is the purpose? How will it help us be better? What are you getting from this? Do your kids know what their doing and why?
This video from Sir Ken Robinson about divergent thinking has floated around Facebook and other media and was presented to us during our class today. I find it to be both inspiring and concerning.
Inspiring, because this is what we strive to achieve in our school each day. It is what we value. It is our objective. Students must learn how to solve problems in many different ways. Creative problem solving is where we get some of the best and most awe-inspiring innovations known to man. I mean, think about it, some guys sitting around drinking beers one afternoon must have thought, "Hey, what if we make telephones that you can walk around with?" Someone had to think a crazy thought to make that happen. And, although most of the general population considers that to be a pretty useful and nifty tool, I'm pretty certain more than a few people thought that was insane and completely impractical.
I find the Ken Robinson video concerning because if it is a true reflection of what is happening in our schools, we should be very scared for our future. I know that it is not the reflection of the teachers and students at my school. Do we wish the kids were a littler calmer, a little more obedient? Sure. That just makes life easier. But, if I have to decide between robot children who sit silently and think whatever they've been told to think or children who can't ask enough questions, have opinions, share ideas, think critically and genuinely want to live in a better world, then I choose the latter. Hands down.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Box.com
Check out box.com
It's similar to google docs where you can share and edit a plethora of different types of files. You can change the settings and then publish the files or folders directly to your blog, add editors and collaborators, send to social networks, etc.
This is something that I can understand as a valuable tool for teachers and students, among teachers, and among teachers and administration to streamline planning and reduce the need to be uploading and sending documents through email or saving to a usb.
I'm not sharing anything with you at this time, because there isn't anything you need from me...as far as I know.
It's similar to google docs where you can share and edit a plethora of different types of files. You can change the settings and then publish the files or folders directly to your blog, add editors and collaborators, send to social networks, etc.
This is something that I can understand as a valuable tool for teachers and students, among teachers, and among teachers and administration to streamline planning and reduce the need to be uploading and sending documents through email or saving to a usb.
I'm not sharing anything with you at this time, because there isn't anything you need from me...as far as I know.
IB Profile
I found this document on the Online Curriculum Center of the IB website. I'm not an animal person, but I think it's nice to look at. These are the guiding characteristics of an IB student; something we, as educators, strive to model and encourage in our students every day.
I would write more about this and how valuable and important I think it is, but this class makes my brain so tired...not the good kind of tired where you feel like you've learned a lot, but the tired where you think about all of the other things you could have been doing with your time...
I would write more about this and how valuable and important I think it is, but this class makes my brain so tired...not the good kind of tired where you feel like you've learned a lot, but the tired where you think about all of the other things you could have been doing with your time...
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Next steps
This document is probably pointless to 99% of the 10 people who actually read this blog. I have to publish something for you to read. I wish there was more purpose with the documents that we are publishing and why. If there is one thing that teachers (or people in general?) despise, it's doing something that seems pointless. Publishing something without a real purpose of who will read it and why seems pointless to me.
In other news, I have been busy. Very busy.
Helping a school with 1100 students towards Balanced Literacy with a workshop model when the teachers see their students a total of two hours on a good day is difficult, to say the least.
Difficult, but worth it.
Right now I am in the drafting phase of our 5-8 year plan of action. I am also making big decisions about what is to come. I'm relatively certain that I will be hated by more than a few people next year. I'm also relatively certain that that's okay with me.
Good teaching means learning every day. Good administration means setting the bar high for myself and everyone around me while being willing and available to struggle alongside each teacher, challenge myself and others, reflect and grow.
What have you learned from the best and worst leadership that you have had?
In other news, I have been busy. Very busy.
Helping a school with 1100 students towards Balanced Literacy with a workshop model when the teachers see their students a total of two hours on a good day is difficult, to say the least.
Difficult, but worth it.
Right now I am in the drafting phase of our 5-8 year plan of action. I am also making big decisions about what is to come. I'm relatively certain that I will be hated by more than a few people next year. I'm also relatively certain that that's okay with me.
Good teaching means learning every day. Good administration means setting the bar high for myself and everyone around me while being willing and available to struggle alongside each teacher, challenge myself and others, reflect and grow.
What have you learned from the best and worst leadership that you have had?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Fancy letters, very important message
How psyched are you to know that I can make these fancy letters? I'm not exactly sure how this would make me a better teacher, but I will tell you how excited I am for St. Patrick's Day. The Irishness that I own has exploded in my house- green tablecloth, pottery, crystal, decorations, even a tiny pot of gold.
The beef is corning. I will make Irish bed in the next few days. I can't wait.
Bring it, St. Paddy!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Please Pronounce Goo Air
This is a website that is called go ear. Apparently you can listen to music on the internet. This is also good for students. Unfortunately, you cannot open this website at the school because it uses to much bandwidth. The good news is, there are applications and also devices that play music through something called the radio or compact discs or MP3. I would tell you what MP3 stands for, but I just don't know.
On a less obnoxious note, I really do believe in the importance and value of playing music for children. I have found it soothing, motivating, and when you plug in really obnoxious students who never work, they surprisingly produce quality work. Not all students work well with music, but a lot do. Lose fear of the iPod. Let your students listen to them in class. You won't be sorry.
Super Sticky
Oh, guess what, y'all? I can write in Spanish, too. I'm not nearly as interesting or funny, but still just as good looking.
You can make super awesome sticky note images at
| http://wigflip.com/superstickies/ |
Creating a Blog
Dear everyone,
I am learning something very exciting in the course I am taking about integrating technology into the classroom. It is called a blog. I hope that I can learn to use this tool successfully.
Ok, so maybe I'm being sarcastic and maybe I'm wishing that I could spend my time doing something different.
Here's the good news. I have to use the blog to post things about education or technology or something. I don't really know because I was busy on Teachers Pay Teachers, that's like the pinterest for teachers. When I wasn't on that, I was checking my email. When I wasn't doing that, I was on Facebook. So, moral of the story, I am utilizing my knack for tuning out Spanish right now. So that maybe wasn't news at all.
But, here is some news. I have to tell you that I have fallen back in love with education. I have fallen in love with teaching and learning. I might want to write about it, so for those of you who don't love teaching and learning, this blog might get boring. But, let's be honest, anything is less boring than not posting since December. Am I right? Something's better than nothing.
In other news, I have to get glasses. All of this renewed love for teaching has inspired a lot of reading and writing, and now I can't see anymore and have had a headache for the past three weeks.
In completely unrelated news, I have also fallen back in love with coffee. Morning, noon, night. I love it.
See you around the blogosphere.
I am learning something very exciting in the course I am taking about integrating technology into the classroom. It is called a blog. I hope that I can learn to use this tool successfully.
Ok, so maybe I'm being sarcastic and maybe I'm wishing that I could spend my time doing something different.
Here's the good news. I have to use the blog to post things about education or technology or something. I don't really know because I was busy on Teachers Pay Teachers, that's like the pinterest for teachers. When I wasn't on that, I was checking my email. When I wasn't doing that, I was on Facebook. So, moral of the story, I am utilizing my knack for tuning out Spanish right now. So that maybe wasn't news at all.
But, here is some news. I have to tell you that I have fallen back in love with education. I have fallen in love with teaching and learning. I might want to write about it, so for those of you who don't love teaching and learning, this blog might get boring. But, let's be honest, anything is less boring than not posting since December. Am I right? Something's better than nothing.
In other news, I have to get glasses. All of this renewed love for teaching has inspired a lot of reading and writing, and now I can't see anymore and have had a headache for the past three weeks.
In completely unrelated news, I have also fallen back in love with coffee. Morning, noon, night. I love it.
See you around the blogosphere.
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