Google+ - A Great PLN!

Good Morning!

I just wanted to share with all of you how awesome google+ is. I joined with my school gmail account a few weeks ago. Recently, they added a new feature called "communities", which is similar to facebook groups. I posted a question in one of these communities and had 6 comments on it before lunch time. People gave me ideas, resources, and even self-paced tech training videos that went along with their suggestions.

Google+ also has those little +1 on like every website which makes it easy to share things you find on the internet.

I would highly recommend getting on google+ and following teachers such as Richard Byrne and also finding communities that interest you. Oh, and you can add me to your circles! :)

See you on G+!

Eric Hills

PLC Data Protocol

In our PLC we completed our first data protocol of the year. While we have been discussing student achievement, rewriting assessment, and comparing work informally, this was the first time we sat down and officially looked at test results. For the most part, this was a great relief. I found that our scores on the assessment were similar for the most part. Also, we got an opportunity to rewrite confusing questions as a whole group. I think this is much more helpful than me just rewriting with my own ideas. What I especially like about this data protocol was that we agreed the test was were it should be in terms about rigor, but we discussed ways to teach the concepts better, so that our results turn out better next year. It was nice to get to the instructional part in a discussion about assessments, as usually I think many people get caught up in what didn't work . We focused on what did work. Have you looked at test data as a PLC? Do you find it helpful?  Also, do you plan enrichments/remediation at this time?

Free Writing for Language Arts and content areas

Last year I was coteaching in a 7th grade language arts class. We started doing a freewrite activity at the beginning of class during our poetry unit. It was great fun since the students were motivated to read out loud by allowing them to perform if they wanted to. Some students did raps, some did creative readings. I started this fall with freewrites in my pull out Level 2 EL class grade 7. They are motivated by what they can create and show and perform for their fellow students. Sometimes it is competetive between them--I don't make it competetive, they do. Sometimes they bring the writing home to add to or improve it--and they are excited to show it the next day! I think this generation is motivated more about what they can show the world than what the world can show them--social media makes so much sense--like facebook is about what you can PUT OUT THERE--not so much about how you can injest more from others. I would suggest doing freewrites in ALL content areas and just see what the students do creatively with the vocabulary and concepts--just give it a try! --Ann Browning Zerby

Technology Overload

One thing that I love about working in this district is that the opportunity to incorporate cool technology in the classroom is always there.  Sometime I wonder how people taught before technology was available!

Today, I am feeling overwhelmed with all the technology that we have access to.  In my classroom, my students use Lexia, Study Island, Math Expressions, Fusion, and Education City, Benchmark, and Tumble Books.  While I love having all of these options out there for my students to stay engaged and excited about learning, I am having a hard time managing all of these resources so that they will benefit my learners.

I am wondering if anyone has advice on how they are finding the time to into some of these resources to assign things, or make it individualized for each student in a class of 23+.  I feel like I am letting my students down because not every resource is personalized for their level/ability/skill.  Any ideas would be appreciated!

Sub Plans

I was fortunate enough to travel the week before Thanksgiving, which meant that I took three personal days last week.  I am still exhausted from the process of planning for it all!  It took me longer to plan for the sub than it usually takes me to plan for a whole week.  I spent long nights the week before I left writing detailed plans for each day and making sure everything was exactly the way it needed to be.  I wanted to make sure I covered every contingency and that I had plenty of activities for each class.  I feel as if this helped make the transition easier, both for my students and for the substitute, but I still feel like I'm trying to catch up from my time away.

How do you usually plan for a substitute?  What do you think is necessary to include in your plans?  How strictly do you want your sub to adhere to your plans?  I found out my sub didn't follow the morning meeting quite the way I wrote it down, and that doesn't bother me so much, but when I found out he didn't require all of my students to do their morning work, that did bother me.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Google Account?

You have a shakopeeschools.org account. That's good. Now what do you do with it?

I've run into a number of people that have our lovely Google accounts and really haven't done much other than make a blog posts. I thought I would list some ways I use it and I'd also love to hear how you all are using yours!

Here we go!

1.) I made a Google calendar and have it on my teacher website with all my assignments listed. I also do this for my swim team schedule.

2.) I sync my bookmarks using Google Chrome's "sign into Chrome" feature and can access my bookmarks on any machine with Chrome (including my iPhone, iPad, laptop, and desktop.)

3.) I created an exit ticket and put it on my teacher website when we were in the computer lab.

4.) I created a Google+ account to follow education blogs and other teachers as well as share resources I find (MORE PEOPLE SHOULD JOIN SO I'M NOT ALL ALONE!)

5.) I use a Google form to have volunteers register for my swim/dive team meets. I also use it to keep track of their contact information.

6.) I store important documents in the 5GB of storage that's on Google Drive and can access that anywhere on any device.

I think I should be a Google sales rep. 

How do you use your Google Account?

Behavior Interventions... 6th Grade -UP

Within my EBD program, I feel that a lot of our behavior interventions are working well for students, scheduled breaks, visual schedules, social skills groups, point sheets/reinforcement programs. My last two years, I have had few 5th graders. This year, I have 6. Now is the time for me to start planning how to transition/gradually transfer responsibility to these 5th graders to prepare them for 6th grade and up. So, any ideas/experience for how these types of interventions are implemented within classrooms in the upper-grades? Are visual schedules used much (i.e., individualized schedules to carry around), do students self-initiate for breaks. What works well in your rooms for students who have behavior/social/emotional needs? Thanks!