I want to say that I've been slacking on writing my blog, but slacking is the last thing I've been doing! I guess I can finally admit that I love my new job. I miss working with my 8th-grade team, that is for sure, but being in the same district has helped the transition immensely. This Rookie is finding her spot within the technology department and the whole Homer Central District.
First off, I was able to help out a bit in 2nd-grade. The students in our district are 1-to-1 with iPads in Pre-K through 1st-grade. Then in 2nd, they are 1:1 with Chromebooks. Having 2nd-graders log on to their Chromebooks for the first time is more difficult than it sounds! The kids are used to touch screens and not keyboards. In three of the second-grade classes, I pushed in and helped with the initial login. The kids did great and I actually got to help out in my daughter's class! I've also been helping them with technology integration within their classrooms. We collaborate, I help them create HyperDocs and/or station rotation activities, and then I get to actually come in and co-teach with them! It is fun and interesting to work with younger kids again. I haven't taught elementary in over 10 years! I look forward to continuing to collaborate with them. I have a "Virtual" student teacher this fall, so I'm going to have her come in and teach a lesson via Google Hangouts with one of the second-grade classes. I'll definitely have to fill you in on that one!
The next big thing I've done this fall is helped out in Mrs. Nye's 6th-grade Social Studies class. She taught her students about the Earth's Continents. Each student was placed into a group where they
were asked to research and present on the 5 Themes of Geography about their continent. She wanted them to present with something that was more than the usual Google Slides presentation. We decided on Adobe Spark. Most of the students had never used the program before. After showing them a presentation my daughter made with the program, the students were inspired to use it! Of course, we had a few snags along the way, but we were able to get the kids into Spark and using it. The piece we realized was, although the kids were able to figure the program out, they were not presenting their information appropriately. They are rarely taught HOW to present. My next mission is to create a "how-to" Adobe Spark presentation on how to present information! Although this is only one teacher in 6th-grade, I've also been asked by the Homer and Careers teacher to assist her with presenting. Now I am also helping her on teaching students appropriate ways to present information (the body language piece but also what their presentation looks like). It has been great to be able to work with multiple grade levels on aligning skills and goals.
Now, on to the next project that I'm jumping into. One of our amazing librarians brought up the fact
that, although our students are 1:1 with Chromebooks, they really don't know how to use many of the tools we have provided! We all know that most kids are quite techy and pick up just about everything we throw at them, especially when it's technology. What happens to those students who were not taught how to do something? Our teachers in Homer are amazing, but what makes them each amazing is their individual teaching styles. There are no specific standards for what students are expected to know by the end of each grade. I want to create a checklist of things we expect our students to be able to do by the end of each grade. BUT, I also know that the teachers' plates are already full. How can we create a checklist that integrates specific technology tools at each grade level? Something that people already do, but just solidify what grade level they do it in? Of course, there will be push-back from some people, but who will it help the most? The KIDS of course! Plus, if I was there to support, I hope that most people will allow it.
Finally, I've found a new cool tool! It's called TimelineJS. I heard about this because I'm registered for the CNY School Librarian's Conference. While researching the confernece, I found out about this awesome tool! It basically takes a Google Sheet template (they provide) and creates an amazing timeline. You can add graphics, backgrounds, and more! I decided to make a "Virtual Resume" which I posted on my website's "About Me" section. Check it out, here!
There has been so much more that I've been doing, but I'll save it for another day! For now, enjoy some pictures of me in action (or rather, the KIDS in action)!
The next big thing I've done this fall is helped out in Mrs. Nye's 6th-grade Social Studies class. She taught her students about the Earth's Continents. Each student was placed into a group where they
 |
| I was able to come in for the presentations and act as a guest grader! |
Now, on to the next project that I'm jumping into. One of our amazing librarians brought up the fact
that, although our students are 1:1 with Chromebooks, they really don't know how to use many of the tools we have provided! We all know that most kids are quite techy and pick up just about everything we throw at them, especially when it's technology. What happens to those students who were not taught how to do something? Our teachers in Homer are amazing, but what makes them each amazing is their individual teaching styles. There are no specific standards for what students are expected to know by the end of each grade. I want to create a checklist of things we expect our students to be able to do by the end of each grade. BUT, I also know that the teachers' plates are already full. How can we create a checklist that integrates specific technology tools at each grade level? Something that people already do, but just solidify what grade level they do it in? Of course, there will be push-back from some people, but who will it help the most? The KIDS of course! Plus, if I was there to support, I hope that most people will allow it.
Finally, I've found a new cool tool! It's called TimelineJS. I heard about this because I'm registered for the CNY School Librarian's Conference. While researching the confernece, I found out about this awesome tool! It basically takes a Google Sheet template (they provide) and creates an amazing timeline. You can add graphics, backgrounds, and more! I decided to make a "Virtual Resume" which I posted on my website's "About Me" section. Check it out, here!
There has been so much more that I've been doing, but I'll save it for another day! For now, enjoy some pictures of me in action (or rather, the KIDS in action)! 
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