Resolutions...or NOT!?!

I'm not about New Year's resolutions; in fact I'm not sure I've ever had one! Granted, as a teacher, January is just the middle of the year!! Each August I plan new things to work on in my class or things I want to change. Maybe you would call these "new year's" resolutions. This year is a little different because everything is new! 

Here is a brief overview of my visions for the computer lab this semester! 

All of my class will be participating in digital citizenship classes. I'm partnering with the counselor at my school to provide Internet safety and anti-cyberbullying education. 

- Fifth grade is going to complete their colonial movies. Then they will move into research, followed by weather forecast videos. 

- Third grade is going to...well I'm not quite sure yet! Maybe...they will learn some research skills! 

- Second grade is going to focus on typing and finish the Dance Mat levels. Once they finish all levels, they will begin having races to increase WPM. 

- First grade is going to work on labeling and identifying parts of the computer. After that they will be introduced to Kid Pix and work on a curriculum based activities. 

- Kindergarten is going to be participating in a study of the benefits of coding. (Meaning they will be coding and doing computer programming.) I am crazy...really I am! 

** Fourth grade tech club is going to work on programming a Botball robot for competition!  (I have to learn C++ programming!! Advice anyone??)

I'm excited about the new adventures this year will bring in the computer lab! All ideas will bring learning for the students and me! 

Whether or not you are like me with resolutions, something about January always brings a rejuvenated spirit ready to push through another semester, a semester unnecessarily filled with testing anxiety for so many sweet children.  Whether I'm in a new job or not, I always look forward to returning to my precious students! I hope you've taken time for God, time for yourself, and time for your family and are ready to return as well. I know the end of the holidays can bring feelings of sorrow for some, but no matter what the circumstances are I pray you find renewal enough to come back to school. January is a time to pour out energy! I challenge you to have the energy to show everyone the extraordinary teacher you are!! 

Here are two pictures of my relaxing and fun Christmas break!  Enjoyed LOTS of family time.
         

Code Much?

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting at my kitchen counter pondering what I should do with a couple grades in the computer lab! I found myself on Twitter and Pinterest searching for a lesson idea when I found an article about Hour of Code!! December 9-15 was the international hour of code.  (I'm all about supporting curriculum in the computer lab but sometimes you just have to do something fun.) Thankfully, there is freedom in the lab to go in multiple directions. I decided I was going to have Kindergarten-5th grade code.  Kindergarteners coding?  Yes, I AM crazy!!!

Monday I got to school and put a sign on my door. I created an "I can" statement based on one I saw online and I found a coding activity for each grade. 

Fifth, second, and third grade were on Tynker.com.  My fifth graders were given the opportunity to choose any activity from the website. My second graders did "Puppy Adventure" and my third graders did "Candy Quest."  Talk about loving what they were doing.  I had several fifth graders come in during recess just to do more coding.  SCORE!!!  The kindergartners and first graders used botlogic.us.  The kindergartners were on the iPads doing the activity while the first graders logged onto the computer.

Overall, the week went splendid and we had a lot of fun participating in Hour of Code.  I was so impressed with the requests to continue coding or about coding at home.  You know you’ve inspired kids when parents text you pictures of more completed certificates.  Here are just a few of the certificates from the week.  

The delight from so many of my kids really has me thinking about the direction I want to go in the computer lab.  How do you balance creating and making the curriculum fit but at the same time, truly igniting excitement in students? As I prepare for next semester I am truly searching for more engaging tactics and ideas to engage students who find school to be boring.  I want to inspire students and get them hooked on learning.  I love watching kids’ eyes dance with excitement when it comes to learning, new books, or a computer program.  Be looking and watching for the new ideas that come from the computer lab!!  

I also encourage you to try something new in your classroom.  Make the new thing exciting and engaging!  Coming from the classroom I know you can turn most things into something fun and engaging.  (Now long division is another story...seriously haven't ever been able to come up with something fun for that one!)  In one of our regular ed. classes the students participated in a technology activity to learn transformations.  Those kids were so excited to come show me what they were doing and I LOVED IT!  I also heard from their teacher they did significantly better on that particular topic when tested.  I love seeing kids enthusiastic about what they are learning...do something different and fun next semester to appeal to your students!!!

Kindergarten Circus

Some weeks I really question my job title and this week was one of those weeks! I’d like to re-write it to include circus clown, lion tamer, both!

Over the past few weeks I felt like Kindergarten had finally settled down! We've made life cycle pictures, color posters, and number cards. We were learning computer terms. With computer terms we practiced syllables, and letter sounds. The kids had been actively engaged and could finally put up their iPads on their own.  I changed my lesson plans up, and for the past two weeks, we haven't actually gotten on iPads.  Instead, we played "TECHY" (BINGO) and practiced finding letters on a keyboard.  It's really gone considerably well and this past Thursday was the last day of my rotation with those lesson plans. 

A little over a week ago, my principal decided to do an observation during kindergarten! Let's just say she suggested I tape off an area for the kids to sit in or get a rug! (Jumping beans might have been her description!) "Give a little bit more structure!" she suggested.  "Other than that you are doing great."  So I taped the floor off and carried on!  The classes seemed to like the tape and I was back to feeling pretty good about Kindergarten.

Then the other day happened…and I think I might have grey hair now! How in the world are kindergarten teachers still standing when the day is done? 55 minutes and I'm exhausted. I really feel like anyone could have grabbed a seat, eaten popcorn, and enjoyed the three-ring circus going on in my class.   

Act 1: Initial Corral!  Getting everyone in the room! Sometimes they just decide they love their classroom teacher SOOO much, they don't want to come in. I coaxed, I bribed, I loved, I encouraged, I told! I seriously looked like the most ridiculous clown at the circus. 

Act 2:  Acrobats in Action! The acrobats put on quite the display today, crawling through and around! Back flips off chairs ...(okay back flips didn’t really happen!) 

Act 3: Confetti Blast! The kids enjoyed the confetti shower…maybe it was in celebration of the acrobats? Or maybe it was out of disgust for the game of BINGO.  Whatever it was…BINGO markers make great red and white confetti.

Act 4: Little Drummer Boy! Quite the beat slamming the door can create! 

Act 5: Runaway snot!  Caught just in time by the ringleader! (Uh disgusting...I barely do my own snot let alone other people’s snot)

Act 6: Juggling iPads is just not the same as professionals juggling flaming batons.

Intermission: The lion tamer swept in and played some silly kid songs! They sang along, danced and got LOTS of wiggles out.

Act 7: The silent letter hunt! Paper keyboards and the alphabet song (Oh and Skittles!) Which reminded me why I love even kindergarteners! 

Although it was CRA CRA (as my fifth graders from last year would say) looking back, it makes me laugh...laugh out loud even! I survived and no one was harmed or caged, we even learned what the monitor is; that's all that really matters. I'll do it again tomorrow and keep loving my job! 

It must be love...

Really, it was love at first sight, or maybe infatuation! What can I say?!  As soon as I heard him I knew it was the way to go.  I couldn't get enough!

It all began 3 long years ago in Nashville, TN.  I was attending Model Schools Conference and all I kept hearing was iPads this and iPads that! Computers enhance learning!  Engage kids through technology!  I was hooked.  What teacher doesn't want to be more engaging? 

I returned to school on the prowl for any and all technology.  I got a MacBook.  Then a class set of iPads.  After that, I wanted new programs for screencasting and creating interactive lessons!  All leading up to where I am today! 

But what really makes this relationship between myself and technology true love is the fact that I keep going back.  I mean technology glitches, technology fails, Wi-Fi goes down, Configurator, well it just sucks sometimes…and other times, like lately, it's extra temperamental. 

It started with my desktops not working! No network on this one and no internet on that one! #19 turning off and on repeatedly. #13 freezing. The keyboard on one randomly typing. The IT guy spent many hours in my sauna trying to fix the desktops.  Now, those are running smoothly.  
In the mean time, we got iPads out with the younger kids. Well, I thought I had created a backup and made folders for all the apps, but come to find out, configurator decided to only put the backup on half the iPads.  Without the backup, there were no folders, and no guarantee the correct apps were on the iPads.  This meant the kids couldn't find the right apps.  Trying to teach 20 kindergartens how to find a certain app...whoa, it's like trying to progress monitor half your class weekly, or fitting 26 math lessons into 19 days or taking a class full of kindergarteners to the bathroom!  Next to nearly impossible.  So I plugged my iPads back in and reconfigured them...it had to work the 3rd time!! Or not! So there I was, trying again to make it easy for the little ones and technology just FAILED me!  I'd get frustrated, go vent to the librarian and then go right back to the technology I love. 

I'm sure you are thinking one of two things:

1. DUH, technology is stupid, I hate it and it always fails so why use it.

2. Nothing else could have possibly gone wrong! 

But let me assure you, it just kept slamming me; yet I chose to still love it.  After I made nice folders on the iPads, (connecting them 10 at a time.)  I was sure they all had folders and the same apps.  I pulled one out of the cart and played with the app I wanted to teach kindergarten.  Notability...kid friendly, does everything I want. I made an example and was ready to go!  I got the iPads handed out...low and behold...what do you know...it's NOT there! Seriously?!? 

I decided to plug the iPads in and add the app quickly before class the next day! No biggie right?! WRONG! I plugged them in, downloaded the app, checked a couple, they did their thing, so I assumed they all did their thing. Class came around, kindergartens were sitting in my room and I started calling kids to get their iPads..Sam #1 Tom #2 Betty #3... As the kids began opening up the iPad to start playing, 5/6 of them were on the "welcome to the iPad" screen! (For those of you who don't know...that's like the "your iPad is back to factory settings and you need to set it up because you have NOTHING on it" screen.) Guess we weren't supposed to do iPads that day either.  Last week on Friday  I ended up plugging each iPad into my computer individually and making it look the way I wanted. (Thankfully a teacher friend (thanks Rudd) stayed and kept me company for the 5 hours it took!!)  Once again I was so excited to use the "newly" set up iPads! 

Monday rolled around and guess what?!? My kindergarteners were able to practice finding letters on the keyboard by typing their color words.  Then they took pictures with of different color objects.  SUPER cute and they had a BLAST!  Today, my kids wanted to do multiple colors and some did. 

Two life lessons and thoughts to leave you pondering as I close this blog…

1. Just think about it, things fail and as teachers we just ROLL with it! The whiteboard markers run out and you can't write on the board!  The pencil breaks while helping a student.  The book you are supposed to read magically disappears right when you want to read it.  You realize you made copies of the wrong assessment after all the kids have started.  As much as we teachers plan and like to control, our day is out of our hands. Whether you use technology or not, we are thrown curveballs daily. Remember, be kind to everyone even when you are thrown a curveball.  Everyone includes other teachers, students, support staff, and parents.

2. Really, it's true love and love is a choice!  Technology makes me so mad sometimes because it fails, just like a human does, but I make the choice to use technology and give it a billion chances.  Loving technology is only a silly metaphor, what really matters is loving people!  I make the choice to love my brother and give him a billion chances even if he torments me.  I make the choice to love my students even when they make bad choices.   Are you making the choice to love even when someONE is making you mad?  Because Jesus chose us and loves us knowing we would mess up, we should do the same.  Even I messed up today! (And probably owe that person an apology!) 

Fifth grade teacher meets Kindergarten

Kindergarten=adventure!! In only two weeks I've compiled a list of lessons I learned about kindergarten...

1. Having to go to the potty can be a SERIOUS epidemic. The mere mention of the word potty or bathroom causes the infectious disease to spread rapidly. I've never seen anything quite like it. 

2. I never want to do classroom bathroom breaks with kindergarten. AGAIN! 

3. Something similar to a lasso attaches the children to me. Meaning that anytime I move around the room so do they! It could be compared to a mother duck and her little ducklings, they follow right behind! 

4. The "I" on the keyboard is a lowercase "L". 

5. They have a story for EVERYTHING!

6. They love you no matter what, they like to sit VERY close and they love hugs. 

On the second day of class with kindergarten, one asked to go to the bathroom immediately followed by 3/4 of the class. I know enough to know that sometimes kindergarten can't hold it and can be accident prone. Not wanting my carpet tainted so soon, I let one go! MISTAKE 1.  When she came back in, she informed me that her teacher was out there and said no more bathroom breaks. So at this point they've all asked but now what do I do?!? I did my best to preoccupy 20 little minds with singing, dancing, and a game but it wasn't cutting it. I opened my door and stuck my head out looking for their teacher. The teacher workroom is right across the hallway and she had been in the room. MISTAKE 2.  Two other seasoned teachers were in there but not the one I was looking for. Those teachers suggested a group bathroom break!  MISTAKE 3. As I turned around to tell the children, I realized how short the lasso was. The kids were in the doorway with me. As the three of us tried to corral 20 kids, the chaos continued. MISTAKE 4. Finally, we corralled the kids back inside the class. We finished the "measly" 55 minutes without any accidents, with my sanity intact, and a funny story. 

The second week of my rotation started and the kids were anxious to get on the computer.  After using an incomplete and old list, I was only able to make log in cards for half the class. My first kindergarten class came and I tried to show them how to long on using the card. Come to find out, not all kindergarteners know their alphabet and if they do, they might not know both lower and uppercase letters. (Take a look at the keyboard, it's only uppercase.) Oh and the "I" looks like an "L".  After two days of trying I decided to switch things up! 

Revised lesson plans for kindergarten this week:

1. Start by introducing what a keyboard is, why it is called that, and what it's purpose is. 2. Then have students locate other keyboards around the room. 3. Use a jumbo shower curtain keyboard to find specific letters.  (We focused on the letters they were learning in their class.) 4. Using old or paper keyboards have races to find letters on those. 

It was a much better lesson and very productive. 

I really love being with kindergarten and for that matter all ages.  I've learned so much and am way less stressed than I was last year. Be looking for more lesson plan ideas.