Today my Grade 8 Science class joined the blogging world with the official launch of Mrs. T’s Classroom! They will be using their blog to:– Share their learning with an authentic audience– Catch up on lessons that were missed due to absences– Review lessons to get a better understanding– Connect with other classrooms around the world– Integrate multimedia of all descriptions (text, images, videos, podcasts)– Practice responsible digital citizenship– Receive feedback on their thoughts To celebrate we had a full-out Launch Party complete with whole-school announcements, a count-down to our first post, a visit from our… Read More
Missing Work Log
When I was student teaching I always had one, two, or more, students who didn’t get their assignment in on time. A lot of times, I would find that I would only get assignments in at the end of my student teaching placement because of the fact that they absolutely HAD to have them in because I was leaving and there was no other options after that. – I tried giving students choice in their assignments so that it would be more meaningful for them,– I tried giving flexible deadlines,– I tried offering assignment assistance at lunch hour… Read More
Summer #EdTech To-Do List Revisited
At the beginning of the summer (oh geez, was that already 2 months ago!?) I shared my Summer #EdTech To-Do List inspired by a blog post by Anthony Vonbank. For the last five summers I have always worked two jobs to pay for the upcoming year’s school tuition, so I always considered myself very busy. This is my first summer since Grade 8 that I haven’t worked at all during the summer! I thought that this would mean that I wouldn’t be busy and was actually worried that I might be bored! HAHA! With the wedding, honeymoon, and planning for… Read More
Using Flash Websites on iPads
Our school has an iPad cart that teachers can book to use with their students for a variety of purposes. While our elementary wing (K-4) has a laptop cart that can be brought into the classroom, Grades 5 and up only have certain periods where they have access to the traditional computer lab. As such, the iPads are a good mobile tech option for us. During my student teaching placement I used our iPads for:– QR scavenger hunts– Interactive options during centers– Research stations– Virtual labs– Taking photos– Recording audio reflections, etc One problem that I… Read More
The Homework Debate
On the weekend I read a post by Justin Tarte called The Truth About Homework in Schools in which he lists his thoughts on the “homework debate”. Being a new teacher I began thinking about where I fall in this often controversial discussion and what my thoughts are about having my students complete homework. I follow many education blogs from around the world and have seen teachers discuss all different types of homework ideologies, from those who are completely against it to those who have assigned homework every single night. I don’t really remember having homework… Read More
How I Plan a Unit in 5 Steps
After finding out that I would be joining the “S-School” team as a full-time teacher, naturally, many of my blog posts turned to discussions of planning and sharing of classroom resources. Since that time, I’ve received quite a few emails regarding how I specifically go about planning out my classroom units. Now, I by no means consider myself any type of “expert” in classroom planning. In fact, with the ever changing face of education I don’t think anyone can truly master this task… ever. Furthermore, this is my first classroom, EVER, so everything is completely brand new to… Read More
When Science & Music Collide
As you might know, I am teaching two different science classes this upcoming year: Grade 7 & Grade 8. I had a really fun time planning out these two classes because my class sizes are SO small and I could easily build in A LOT of labs and various other hands-on activities. My primary focus when developing my lessons is to provide a relevant and meaningful learning experience for my students. (Obviously, this means that I will continue to modify things as the school year progress and I learn more about my students.) One resource that… Read More
Blog, Website, or Both?
Our school year begins in less than two months and I am spending this summer trying to get as organized as possible. In addition to the million-and-one things that are required of teachers, I know that I want to have my students blogging as well as have a classroom website. I have two science classes, Grade 7 & Grade 8, who I want to start blogging projects with. These are two of my smaller classes as I am nervous that I will get too overwhelmed if I tried to get ALL 7 of my different subject-area… Read More
Summer #EdTech To-Do List
I recently read a post by Anthony VonBank over at his blog, Clouducation, in which he shared some of his #EdTech suggestions for summer. Since I am an #EdTech lover, my Twitter-Tried-It Challenge is still going on, and I’m now on the ManACE Board, I thought it was a perfect fit for me to create my own #EdTech To-Do List too! (Big thanks to Anthony for the inspiration!) Technology is a given. (2013). Uploaded by Scott McLeod to Flickr. Available online at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcleod/8399337241/ While most of us can think of countless things we would like to try/work on/update/etc,… Read More
mRLC Backwards-By-Design Planning
If you are a teacher in Manitoba who is also utilizing backwards-by-design planning then you definitely need to check out the resources available through the Manitoba Rural Learning Consortium (mRLC). My principal shared this with us this week and I am so glad she did because it is going to save me a lot of work in my planning! The backwards-by-design method of planning (sometimes called understanding-by-design, backwards planning, or planning with the end in mind) involves planning out the “big ideas” or main goals for a topic first, then selecting the best assessment options, and finally determing instructional methods… Read More