Week 5 and 6: Steady As We Go

After weeks and weeks of excitement, new tools and waves and waves of awesomeness, things have finally settled and iPad life has been smooth sailing.  


With my students now the captains of their iPads…


they easily navigate between apps, using Goodreader to complete assignment notebooks, worksheets, take notes and write paragraphs. 

New apps that we (I say we because I currently have a dynamo…awesomely tech savvy…she totally speaks geek student teacher)  have introduced to our students have been warmly welcomed and tired with a fantastic energy and without hesitation.  We have tried Baiboard, Socrative, Study Blue and Bitsboard (all of them and all but Bitsboard are also internet based….BONUS for your non-iPad users or if you do not have iPads).  We continue to have great success and celebrate all the awesomeness of what each app offers our students.  All while knowing there are just so many more awesome apps out there!  


My students are still finding their way around Google Talk (I introduced them to it about a week and a half ago).  This app allows them to easily communicate with me if they have any questions while they are working on their homework.  While my students have become expects at using Edmodo as a communication tool, we quickly found that for homework help, Edmodo doesn’t reply fast enough and the multiple posts and long streams of communication can be confusing for them.  We are still in the lets try this out phase of Google Talk… setting our course and hoping we find more treasure…but my students are over the moon they have this tool to use and uber excited at what it can do.  Bonus…can we say independent students advocating for themselves…geee! 

My Goals for NEXT WEEK

  • Each student has 5 tools (apps) on their iPads they are confident, independent and proficient at using
  • These 5 tools meet and support their educational needs 
  • Of these 5 tools (apps)... 
  • One to two of them improves access to the curriculum and improves output of information
  • One of them allows us (me and my students) to communicate with ease (at home, in my class or away from my class)
  • One to two of them provides interactive and engaging funs that reinforces new and old skills.  


So until next week you can find us sailing the open seas, rocking our iPads and spreading our awesomeness where ever we travel! 

Risk

I never wrote a New Years post.  I never shared my vision for what I hoped this year would be for me.  I never wrote that I didn’t really want to change or work on something I lacked.  Why should I have to always change something, can’t I simply be enough just the way I am?  I never wrote that I wanted to own who I was and embrace it.  I never wrote how I wanted to take all of the things that were wonderful about me, own them, make them even more awesome and then shout them out to the world.   But this unwritten post brewed inside me for weeks…unwritten.  It sat and it brewed and it swirled until it fueled an unignorable desire to put myself out there, to leap off the cliff of the unknown, to try something new and extremely and absolutely totally uncomfortable in … suddenly I the deep need to be a risk taker.

My first risk came in January.  I quietly submitted a story  to Listen To Your Mother.  I waited and hoped and tried not to get my hopes up, but really wanted to be part of that amazing group of people.  Also, standing on stage, reading my piece, the real me out there… total,make me almost puke risk! I was not selected.  My heart hurt terribly.  My Facebook stream filled with other who had been selected. I was happy for them but deep inside I hurt really bad.  I had put myself out there.  I had taken a huge risk.  Where was my reward… F@*k you risk!!!

I submitted a proposal to speak at the Illinois ICE Conference.  Encouraged by a wonderful friend to share what I was doing in the classroom I decided to value what I was doing, channel my creativity and I wrote the proposal. Me sharing my vision of making the classroom portable for students… allowing students to take lessosn home with them through technology, in front of my peers at the largest technology conference in Illinois… Thank you for your submission. You have made it to our waiting list for speakers…. Blah blah blah. F^#k you Risk!!!

In February I decided to create a public blog.  A blog for my, Laverne the teacher me. PUBLIC… For everyone to see!!! PUBLIC!!!  I would share about my experiences in the classroom.  Share what I was trying, ideas I have and journies I was on.  I would shout out all the awesomeness going on in our classroom and make it a hub of resources for my student to access anytime.  Aside from starting akaLaverne, it was the best thing I have ever done!!!  If you are even remotely familiar with what blogging in this space has done for me…blogging as a teacher has done that equally for me as an educator!!!  Make me tear up…. I LOVE you Risk!!!.. and then I {hold you breath} told others about my classroom blog.  I told my principal, my administrator, colleagues and I started  {hold your chair}  I tweeting about it.  Connecting with other educators and the feedback I was getting was beyond words.  It all just added to the giddily rewarding feeling I was already feeling.

Suddenly RISK might not be all bad!??

So I took some more…

Last month, when the annual email came asking for teacher who wanted to teach a summer tech session came to my inbox I tucked away my feeling of fear and potential disappointment.  My burns from taking risks had healed. So I took a deep breath and I submitted TWO proposals.  Now I wait!

A couple weeks ago BlogHer posted their announcement that their annual call for Voices of the Year was open. I daydreamed that someone would be enter one of my posts. I’m not gonna lie.  How cool would that be and who doesn’t love that kind of love.  And what blogger wouldn’t love to stand in front of their peers reading their work, sharing their heart or even just have their work recognized like that…. complete awesome amazingness.  Then I thought, why someone else?  Why not me?! An article popped up in my stream… submit your own.  A post went up on google+  about being an advocate of you. What was I waiting for?  There will be so many submissions to BlogHer mine probably wouldn’t even get noticed.  Remember LTYM. That hurt bad.  Your heart ached in disappointment.  So I said F#%k  you fear!  I looked though my old posts from the last year.  I looked for one I though would have the biggest impact and bring the most meaning to others.  I couldn’t settle on one.

Then I heard a whisper.

It was my heart.

“Pick me,” it said.

“Remember how you felt in this moment.  Remember what it meant to you. Remember how deeply you were moved. This is about you and what it means to you.”

So I took a deep breath… and I submitted my story.  Now I wait.

I wait, but this time I will not wait in fear.  You see each time I jump of the cliff of the unknown I have no idea if  I will fall or soar.

I do know this.

Even though falling hurts really bad, I’ll get up again, I’ll rub the sore spots and maybe even cry but I will do it.   I will do it because I know that if I don’t take that step I would never know how incredible soaring is!

ERQuote

 AND

fear

Authors Note… I apologize in advance for all the swearing.  It really is not like me…well yeah it really is, but in real life and not on my blog but I just could not come up with a word that had the same pow as …you know the F word.  Also,  I could not decide which image to use.  Cute, simple, classic chalk board with lovely Eleanor Roosevelt quote or in your face say it like it is phrase so… I am went with both!  

 

 Your still here??

Well what the heck are you waiting for?!

 Won’t you please head over to BlogHer and show me love…

 Go already!

Week 4: Light Bulbs

Light bulbs were all the rage last week!  

Ah ha moments, glowing eyes of aw and pride, oooo’s and ahhs, and glissening wide smiles…with teeth and everything and oh my goodness look at me filled each period! 

My students continued to just rock technology and totally and completely rock being an iPad 1:1 classroom last week.  They continue to become more and more proficient at using their technology.  Lessons continue to flow and the pace of each lesson increases each day.  Their knowledge of the basics is well ingrained… actually fluid!  At only four weeks into being a 1:1 iPad classroom my student and the possible ways we will use technology have already exceeded my expectations. 

You might want to put some sun glasses on. The glow of all the awesomeness could be blinding…


I find myself able to introduce them to new tools and new components of their technology.  Baiboard has become not just a look what your iPad can do tool but a consistent tool…from sharing word lists during group Reading instruction to facilitating peers working together to sharing math notes and completing them as a class.


I find myself looking for ways to tweek and perfect our usage…looking for ways to be increasingly more efficient at changing paper to text form. The Jetscanner app has been an absolute god sent.  Anything paper need to be turned into a PDF for sharing or use on the iPad.  Take a photo, it changes it to a PDF and done! 
‘CLICK’ for source
 


I find myself looking for that very last way to remove almost all paper from our daily use. We have switched my students from typing their daily events / daily narrative on a PDF type enables document to putting these events on their Google Calendar.  Why not?  I use my Google Calendar everyday to keep my day organized!


I find myself looking for ways to connect us more…. to show my students the power of technology and communication. Last week two of my students went on Edmodo (unprompted by staff or parents) at home seeking help on a problem they were having on their homework.  That night after several replies from me and my student teacher they had the answers to their questions.  In that instant they learned the power technology has to connect. It actually made me teary.  As a direct result of this (it is actually something that has been on my mind for a while) I am exploring apps that would allow me and my students to chat when they need help on homework. This very moment was my most proudest yet!  Technology does powerful good and connects them to resources.  They learned that that night!


I find myself becoming a paper snotI even lost the capacity to breath for a half second when I actually had to print something last week.  You mean I actually need to have a paper copy…I need to print?! …Cue Back to the Future 2… What like you thought my geekiness really started and stopped here


All of this awesomeness is just overwhelming wonderful!!!   I just can’t say enough about what has happened to my classroom, to me, to my teaching and to my students!

Olivia’s World #1: The Stair Stomping Monster

Olivia2

Once upon a time there was a Stair Stomping Monster named Mimia and she was nice, kind and helped people if anyone needs help.  She was special at all kinds of things.  Mimia likes her city.  Mimias city is called Stair Stomping Ville.  Even though Mimia lives in a city where all other Stair Stomping Monsters live she is different.  Shes different because all the monsters in Stair Stomping Ville stomp but Mimia does not, Mimia uses her words when she is happy, sad or mad.

One day Mimia saw a little girl that was 4 years old and holding a tiny doll that was clean, had soft fur and had braids that had been tied with bows that are the color red.  And the owner of the doll looked sad.  Mimia knew it because she was crying.

“ Well she does not look graceful like me,” said Mimia.

Mimia ran out to catch her.

“What is your name and why are you sad and crying? “  Asks Mimia sadly knowing now she was sad as the little girl said her name Caroline.

Mimia said how to be happy and now they are friends.

The end.

photo-5

Mommy Disclaimer….  Olivia is my 7 year old daughter.  She began writing here so she could share her voice too.  All the words, the ideas and the typing… the entire story was done totally and completely by Olivia.   I only helped with formatting, spelling and with Photoshopping the drawing.  By writing this story Olivia hopes to inspire other kids to learn their manners, help a lot and be nice and kind!

Introducing Olivia’s World

“Mommy I left something for you on your bed, ” Olivia tells me.

“Ooooohhhh OK,” I reply rinsing the dishes.

After washing the dishes, putting a load of laundry in the washer,  folding a couple of baskets, making lunch…well you know how it goes. I finally made my way upstairs to read this mysterious “note”.  When I got to my bedroom I saw her journal lying on my bed.

“Hhhmmmmm I thought.  I found the page marker and open it to this…

photo-4

The “note” was a not surprising to me.  I have known for a while that the social part of school has not been Olivia’s strength.  She lives by her own beat, has a quarky fantastical imagination, is stubborn, shy and has kind of a take me for who I am or leave it attitude.  It is the perfect combination of a blessing and a curse.  So while the note did not surprise me it did make me sad.  I realize that I am her mom, but I have for a very long time thought that Olivia has the most fantastic imagination and an incredible talent for using her drawings and words to bring her imagination to life.

“OOOOLLLLIIVVVAAAAAA come here!” I yelled to her from my room.

“COMING MOMMY!”

“Hummmfff she came without arguing,” I thought. “That’s nothing short of a miracle.”

“Yes Mommy.”

I took her straight in the eye, forcing her to look back at me.

“Do you know how amazing you are?  Do you know what a fantastic writer and drawer you are?  What you write… it is something very special!.  Do you know this sweetie.  You are VERY talented!”

I pause and we just gaze at each other.  Then like the light bulb appearing above the cartoon characters head, I knew what I had to do.

“Olivia I want you to start writing with me on Mommy’s blog.  You are an amazing writer and I want you to see that your words are important and special!”

“Really Mommy!!!!”

“Yes really!!!”

. . . . . . .

I hope that you will stop back tomorrow when Olivia and

I share her first post.  I am one excited momma!

Olivia2

 

 

 

Our Awesomeness #1

We have tried out a few different tools to project the iPad during lessons.  Reflector is a phenomenal desktop app that projects your iPad through the projector.  It allows me to not have to be plugged in.  I can walk around the classroom continuously displaying what I am doing on the iPad (downfall is my classroom’s wifi is not always able to keep up with it so it has only worked half the time).  Another, more reasonable tool to project the iPad is the iPevo camera. It clearly projects the iPad, but does not allow me to move around the classroom.  The above picture is the iPad projected using the iPevo Camera with one of my students navigating the iPad while I instruct.  My favorite way to use the iPad, iPevo and make students part of my teaching.  

 All of the worksheets and templates we use are PDFs 
 uploaded from Dropbox into Goodreader

Meet My Muses and Fred too

“Mommy come color with me,” Francine asks after dinner.

“I’m sorry sweetie mommy has tons of chores I need to do.  You can color and I’ll come when I am done.”

I turn to see an understandably frowny, disappointed face.  My hands reach for the sponge and the next plate that needs to be washed.  The kitchen is suddenly silent.

“Mommy what can I do to help you finish your chores faster?” Francine inquires

After lifting myself off the floor in shock…

I turn to Francine and smile, “Really, you want to help Mommy?!”

“Yes, Mommy,” she smiles and says in the sweetest and most sincere five year old voice.

“OOOOOkaaaay.  You can start by helping make the lunches.”

As I rinse the last dishes, move on to the load of laundry that needs to be washed and the other one that needs to be folded Francine puts pretzels into sandwich bags.  I send out reminders of what to do next from the laundry room.  I pick up my pace, working faster to get these chores done so I could sit and color with her.

With time left to spare and a couple of chores left for later, because seriously how can I possibly let down a little girl down who is willing to help Mommy with chores.  It was time to color!

I still never know what is going to happen when I craft or color with my girls.  I am constantly inspired by them and blown away by their imaginations.  This night at the table was no different.  After taping together and coloring two cardboard toilet paper rolls and a paper towel roll (don’t ask… she’s five… it’s her vision. I don’t ask)  we did some free drawing.  After doodling a bit the pink crayon called for me.  My mind took me back to a note I had made for myself months ago.  My hand faught me.  I had never been any good at drawing with crayons.  Before I know it the crayon is in hand, obeying my movement and Fred was born.Fred1

 Fred has dreams…big pink accessorized, leotard and legwarmer dreams.  Dreams of toes pointed, tutus and twirls and pirouettes…

FredDancesBallet

. . . . .

My daughters inspiration does not end here…

I seriously can not tell you how incredibly..oozing with excited I am for the coming weeks.  My daughters… Olivia 7 and Francine 6 are going to start joining me here!   They are going to take their picture, drawings, stories and life experiences and start to share their words here too!

I can hardly stand the wait… the wait for Olivia to share her words with you.  Her  illustrations will take  you to fantastically magical worlds that intertwine her life’s experiences with creatures, superheros and magical worlds of her imagination.

Olivia2
You can even follow all things Olivia on
Twitter by following the hashtag #OliviasWorld

Francine is also excited to share.   A little of this, a lot of that and who knows what else?!   She loves to help me cook and bake, but dislikes almost everything she helps me make. She can even show you which exact tooth is her sweet tooth.  She is colorful, crafty and is always looking for the next thing to make out of anything she can find.  I really never know what fantastically crafty, imaginative creation she will cook up.

Francine
You can follow Francine on
Twitter by following the hashtag #FrancineCooks

Creativity is oozzing!  We have so much more to share!

 

Week 3: Juuuust Right

Remember in Goldie Locks and the Three Bears when Goldie Locks (that naughty girl she was, being in someone’s house without asking) sat at the table tasting porridge… this one is tooo hot…this one is tooo cold… this one is just right!  That moment…The moment the porridge finally tasted perfectly warm, was exactly what happened this week!

This week things came together in awesome ways!  So much awesomeness is happening.  I simply can not contain it to a day by day account and feel the the urge to shout all of the awesomeness that happened this week!!!!

 
1)  Students can independently upload documents from Dropbox to Goodreader

2)  Students now complete all worksheets on the iPad (both in class and at home)

3)  All class notes are taken on the iPad

4)  Students know how to independently view documents side by side in Goodreader
     ex. Students can complete their paragraph organizer on the iPad and view it on the same
           screen while typing the paragraph using it

5)  All grading is done at the beginning of each class (a huge change in routine for us)

6)  Grading time is down to 5 minutes

7)  Instant daily feedback of performance has significantly reduced the number of 
     corrections that need to be made to homework

8)  Corrections are now done the day they happen, rather then on a specific day of the week

9)  The overall pace of a class lesson has almost doubled,  
     significantly increasing the amount of instruction given 
     in a week

10) Students are starting to use their iPads to take notes on while looking at 
      videos / resources on the computer

11) We are almost a completely paperless classroom

12) WE… staff…myself and my Teaching Assistants…and my students are crazy 
      giddy happy and proud…WE ARE (almost completely) A PAPERLESS CLASSROOM!!!!

13) Students use all of our basic apps almost completely independently…  
      Goodreader, Dropbox, Google allowing me to begin to slowly introduce new tools

14) New fantasticness is emerging…Fantasticness I tell you! 

15) We use the Socrative app once a week in two classes to record and document 
      student performance in Reading and Social Studies

16) We began using Study Blue to learn measurement abbreviations in Math class

17) Upon learning how to use Study Blue one of my students sat in his desk, stared at 
      me, stared some more and then said…

Student: Wait…this makes note cards.
Me: Yes, it does
Student: I make note cards for Science class
Me: Yes you do
Student: Can I use this to make note cards for Science
Me: You sure can
…and we set up a time after school to make the note cards together. 

 Can you just feel the sparks and connections clicking!!!

18) We discovered the app (during a day it was offered for free…bonus) Jet Scanner and a 
      whole new world of independent awesomeness was opened. No scanner needed 
      when you can take a picture of a worksheet, turn it into a PDF and then upload it 
      to Dropbox, share it with all of your students and they can upload it into Goodreader 
      and type and/or write on it

19) I am in the process of starting Assistive Technology  
      Evaluations for three of my students. I have plenty of 
      data already that these tools need to be a perminent 
      part of their educational days  


Next weeks technology and iPad goals…

  • Introducing, modeling how to use and using Baiboard to students…humongously huge deal…this means working in groups (something that is very challenging for my students and we rarely do)
  • Changing my thinking about how we are teaching measurement to my Math students.  No more memorizing and memorizing and memorizing conversion facts.  I am going to focus on teaching them to use technology as a resource to access facts and information.
  • Teach my students to use the Jet Scanner app, how to upload documents to our Dropbox and make them available to the class
  • Explore and test out ClassDojo behavior management system
  • Continue to our awesmomeness streak into the next week…because seriously..My StUdEnTs RoCk!!!!