NSTA 2019

I’m writing this on the plane home from St. Louis, and finally posting it weeks later. I have to admit that I was not excited about the fact that NSTA was in the Show-Me-State. This is my third NSTA conference, and it was one of the best organized conferences that I have attended. Don't get me started on the food! We ate at so many fantastic places in downtown St. Louis. Yummy!

The conference kicked off with a keynote from retired astronaut Scott Kelly. His message was inspirational and informative. “I was trained not to focus on the things you can control, not the things you can’t.”

The results of the “twin study” were released just the next day. It was pretty neat to have heard his story and then to see him on the morning news the next day.


On Thursday I also had a Technology Advisory Board meeting. I am excited to get to work with the team this year.

The plane ride home is always my favorite time to reflect on what I’ve learned and to make plans for how to implement changes in my classroom. I attended two sessions in particular that made me think.

I actually attended a session that I had seen last year. I love the idea of holding a School Maker Faire. The team from South Orangetown Central School District was back again this year to explain how they hold a district-wide Maker Faire. With all the maker-resources we have on our campus, I think it would be amazing to showcase the work we are doing to the entire school community. The presenters talked about how many of the projects are done in school and saved, but others are done by students at home and brought in.

I also really like the “Science Fair of Optimization.” The 4-6 grade team from Captain Samuel Douglass Academy told of their science fair woes and how they were able to make things easier for the teacher, but still meaningful for the students. The developed group projects based on a problem that requires students to apply the engineering design process. Students are presented with a scenario based on a problem facing a cleverly named fake company. As a group they must decide what variables to test to solve the problem. Each student then completes a “science fair project” where they test the variable using the controls set by the group. At the end, the students come together to create a prototype using the information they learned from the individual projects.


Our school has not had an elementary science fair in a while and we are trying to move in that direction. Once of the problems is helping student to understand variables. I love that this project focuses on identifying variables and creating a way to test a single variable. I look forward to talking with our upper elementary teachers about the idea.

Our Bringing Student Creativity to Life in the Elementary Science Classroom workshop presentation was one of the best that Cara and I have done. Just a few weeks ago we were panicked because HP Reveal Studio is in transition and we cannot create augmented reality projects using that website. At FETC, we learned about Thyng. We sent them a message and the responded almost right away. They have been great to work with and even stayed in the office late on a Friday to be “on-hand” during our workshop. The projects look great and we think they are going to be a great tool for our First Grade Garden next month.

The workshop was a lot of fun. We set up the green screen and demo-ed how simple it is to use the Green Screen app by DoInk. We were the last session of the day, but we had a nice crowd and got some great feedback.


Saturday morning Suzette joined us to add her middle school perspective to Transforming Your Science Classroom with Technology. It was an 8am session on a Saturday morning in a very large room.

We had a nice crowd and got some great feedback. After the session, a STEM Coordinator stopped us to ask questions. She said that her district had a lot of the tools and resources that we talked about, but that the teachers were not using them in a way that connects to the standards. One of the greatest compliments to me was the fact that beyond all the tools we told about, it was the way we used the tools that stood out to her.

We did have time to enjoy a little bit of the city. We walked to the Gateway Arch one evening.

We also made it to the Botanical Gardens and the St. Louis Zoo.

The biggest surprise of all though was the weather on Sunday.

We knew it was going to be cold and rainy, but the temperature dipped and we actually saw some snowflakes and winter mix. For three teachers from Florida, that’s a big deal!

NSTA 2018

I'm on my way back to the conference, but I wanted to post links to my sessions from this morning. Thank you to everyone that came!

STEAM in Action

Transforming Your Classroom Through Meaningful Technology Integration

Feel free to comment or email if you have any questions! I'd love to connect!

FETC Discount Code

November was all about conferences for me. I attended the NSTA Regional Conference in Orlando early in the month. A couple of weeks later I flew to Houston to present at the NCTM Regional Conference. I have a blog post planned with my favorite finds from these two events if I can just find time to sit down and write.

I love conferences. I always find such neat ideas. I actually like going to conferences enough that I have started to submit proposals to present. My school is a lot more willing to send you when you are presenting. After attending FETC last year I knew that I needed to try my best to get back again!

I'd like to personally invite you to attend my session at FETC 2015, taking place January 20-23 in Orlando, Florida. Information on my session is below, along with a special registration discount of up to $110 off the Regular Conference Package Prices*.

Mixing it up with STEAM (AS3062)
Date: Friday, January 23, 2015

In this session, we will discuss how your students can mix a recycled cardboard arcade with technology including augmented reality, Google Apps, and movie making.

FETC is the leading international conference that brings education and technology experts together to exchange strategies and best practices for teaching and learning success—and I’m thrilled to be a part of it! Make plans now to join me and discover the future of education technology.

Register today using my unique promo code – SPK376 – and receive $110* off the Regular Registration fee! For more information on the conference, please visit www.FETC.org

*$110 discount off Regular Conference Rates, or $10 off the current Early Bird rates.
Please note – the discount does not apply to currently registered attendees.

I hope to see you this January!

Back to School

I submitted my last assignment tonight! It took all summer, but I finished all 80 assignments.  I am so happy not to have that hanging over my head.

Last week I attended the Drive-in Conference at P.K. Yonge Developmental Lab School in Gainesville.  I presented on Technology for Classroom Management and Using Technology in the Elementary Math Classroom. The presentations and links are available on my Portaportal Page.

Teachers reported back on Monday. Yesterday my son got sent home from day care for tummy issues. Due to the 24 hour rule, he joined me at school today.  I was worried about how he would do, but the little guy quietly watched videos on my iPad through the bloodborne pathogens training and a review of the crisis response plan.

He "helped" me print a big poster for my bulletin board. It has a weather theme. We had WeatherSTEM installed yesterday. Our school site is here. I am looking forward to watching the sky video tomorrow.

My teacher's helper took a nap mid afternoon. I was able to get a few things done while he slept. I *might* have put a sign on my classroom door announcing "Napping 3-year-old."

Tomorrow is our "Meet the Teacher" day. I can't believe it is already time!

Making Plans

What a summer! I am working 25 hours a week at summer camp. I teach drama, songs, and games in my regular classroom.  The work is fun and easy, but it still means my time is taken. I am also taking two online classes required for my certification. I have put it off for too long and now I have to complete 80 assignments by the first week in August. I have only turned in 6 so far. Sigh.

I am off to work on that, but I've been invited to several demonstrations and meetings in my "spare" time this summer. It could lead to some amazing things next year and while they are all still in progress, I wanted to share them here.

Aquaponics
The middle school science teacher and I talked about starting a garden next year in the shared area outside our classrooms. We were planning to put in a few raised plant beds. On the first day of summer vacation I got pulled into a meeting with our STEM coordinator about aquaponics. It looks like things are on track for us to get an educational victory garden system. If all goes as planned, we will have a tank of tilapia and raised beds that filter out the fish waste. It should be pretty impressive! I've already warned them that I lack a green thumb, but I'm will to try.

WeatherSTEM
At FETC I saw a demonstration by WeatherSTEM. I was impressed at all the easy to use data gathered. They install a weather system with cameras and tools that feeds the information to a web based site. The graphs and information available is amazing. The weather system even has its own Twitter account to post auto updates about the temperature and rain for the day. (Here is an example of a site in action.) It looks like we will be getting WeatherSTEM for next school year. My mind is spinning with possibilities!

zSpace
Yesterday I went to a demonstration of zSpace. This video explains it better than I can:



I got to try it out and I can tell you it really is a cool as it looks. It is pricey, but they are looking at the possibility of acquiring funds to set up a lab where we can bring our classes.

Meanwhile, I'm back to my online classes. I hope your summer is going well!

Graphite by Common Sense

Spring break was a blur. We spent a few days with Mickey Mouse in Orlando. When we got back, we had family in town from four states. One cousin got married on Saturday. We had a bridal shower for another cousin on Sunday. It was fun, but we didn’t rest at all!

Every night this week I’ve planned to do a blog post. Every night something has come up. Oh, well!
I got an e-mail yesterday to let me know that I was approved to be a Common Sense Media Certified Educator. They sent on a badge for my blog.



I’m currently waiting for a blog redesign from A Bird in Hand Designs. I’ll add the badge to the side bar once I get my new look. I can’t wait!

One of the other sites I’m having fun with right now is Graphite.



From Common Sense Media, this site lets you search for reviews of apps/websites. It is a really neat idea.

I’d registered and written a field note before. Last night I came across this post. I decided to write two more field notes. As a result, I got an e-mail tonight with the code for a $25 Amazon gift card. The offer ends March 31.

I’ve started working on my application to be a Graphite Certified Teacher. I love sharing technology resources. I think it is a good fit!

Enjoy!

Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship

This week my fifth graders were on a field trip so I ended up with an extra planning period. I decided to use that time to work on my application for Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship Certification.

The application asks for documentation of how you have shared about the curriculum with the teachers at your school. I realized that I had done that, but I had not shared it clearly enough on my blog.  This post is not an application requirement. I’m not getting paid to post this. I just really think that digital citizenship is important, and I think Common Sense Media does a great job of giving teachers the free tools they need to do just that.



A friend shared a Common Sense Media newsletter with me last spring. She suggested that I sign up. Once I looked around the site, I fell in love with their K-12 digital citizenship curriculum. I remember being at a conference years ago talking about these same digital citizenship skills that no one is teaching. Who owns this? I decided that the STEAM Lab was the perfect place for digital citizenship.



My learning goal for my class this year is based on the ELA technology standard for each grade level. I use the elements of STEAM to teach that standard. Each of these lessons is linked to other ELA standards as well.

I was a little overwhelmed last fall so I decided to just teach the lessons as written. There were a few plans that I taught with low expectations. I was shocked at how much they enjoyed it! We had AMAZING conversations. I was surprised how many of our elementary students were I honestly felt like these lessons made a difference. It changed the way many of my students thought about their digital lives. From keyword searches to cyberbullying to copyright issues, these topics are part of our world today.



I started by printing the entire K-2 curriculum and the 3-5 curriculum. I keep them in a binder so that I have originals to make copies. I did not follow the scope and sequence, but picked the lessons that matched what I had going on. Days I was relocated to the Media Center due to construction in my classroom we did Digital Passport lessons on the library computer. On the other hand when I did not have access to computers, I decided to wait to do the keywords lesson.

Funny enough, I taught most of these lessons before I had computers in my room. They are designed to be as low tech or as high tech as you want/need them to be. One computer with a projector was perfect to guide discussions.



If you do have access to more, the Digital Passport is a website from Common Sense Media for grades 3-5. My students loved these games. The Twalkers game is the best I have ever seen for explaining the dangers of driving (or walking) while texting.  You should try it yourself. They have also released an iBooks version of the curriculum I plan to use in the fall.



The resources available make it idiot proof. They have included everything you need – videos, handouts, extension ideas, computer games to reinforce, and more. There are even resources for sharing with parents or other teachers.  It is well worth signing up and exploring these free resources.

* The pictures in the post were from a bulletin board display we did for digital citizenship week. My 3-5 students each created a Twitter strip with a tip or something they had learned about digital citizenship.

ClassTools.net Timer

This will be a quick one. I wanted to share a website I rediscovered this week. It is a musical web based timer from Classtools.net



We’ve been working on typing in the STEAM Lab. It is not their favorite thing to do, but we have to do it. I found that setting the timer for 5-7 minutes with classical music playing makes the whole process much less painful. My students know that I will reset the timer if they are not working. There was more typing and less talking.

I also use the timer for clean up time. You would be surprised how much faster students move while Mission Impossible is playing in the background!

One tip: I’d always picked my song based on the length. My husband played with the site and wanted to know why I didn’t just use the keyboard to adjust the time on the song I wanted. It took years for me to learn that.

On a separate note, please consider linking up your favorite St. Patrick's Day activity if you haven't already!

Clip Art: Sonia DeHart, Giftseasonstore

 

The linky will be up for another week. I am also giving my Sully Shamrock font to anyone who links up a St. Patrick's Day Post.

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Be sure to check out the others:

Thursday Throw Down: Google Forms

I’m joining my blogging friend Erin from I’m Lovin’ Lit for her Thursday Throw Down Linky.



I know I'm cheating just a little. I don't have notebooks in my class, so I can't really enjoy all the interactive notebook goodies, but it is as interactive as I can get in the lab!

I’ve been waiting since October to start a cardboard arcade inspired by Caine’s Arcade. This pile of cardboard has been taunting my students for a month or so.



That big box in the back has a sign on it. It reads, “Not trash. Not a TV. Just a Box.”  They have been begging to get started.

I have 18 classes. I needed to find a way to have each class vote on a photo booth prop and a game. I handed out little slips of paper for the first class, but it took WAY too long.

During my planning period I created the shell of a Google Form. When my fifth graders came, we filled in their ideas for the photo booth and the same.



I sent the finished form to the student computers. Each student completed the form and then rushed back to the carpet to view the results on the SMART board.



I refreshed the results to the sounds of cheers from the winning group. If I had longer than a 50 minute class period I would have used this information for a teachable moment about data. Instead I printed out the information for teachers who wanted it.



I’ve been using Google forms a lot lately. It is so quick and easy to gather and use the data.

Now we are working on our projects. This is a treasure chest in progress. In the background are a robot and a claw machine.



This one is ready for paint and decorations.



Can you tell what it is?



My classroom is over run with cardboard projects and smells like paint, but we are having a blast!

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I hope that you will join me Saturday for my first ever Linky Party. I’m married to an Irishman, so St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in my house - and my classroom!

Clip Art: Sonia DeHart, Giftseasonstore

I have a few St. Patrick’s Day art projects I plan to share. You can link up any post, new or old, with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. To make sure I don’t end up “Jenny no mates” as my Irishman would say, I’ll e-mail my Sully Shamrock font to anyone who links up.

I’ll leave the link up through St. Patrick’s Day, so be sure to link up your favorite activity! Hope to see you then!

Sunday Funday: OverDrive AudioBooks

We have had a great Sunday so far! After our usual Mass and grocery shopping, we headed to the pool. It was our first swim this year. The kids were thrilled. I asked my husband to take a picture of my son eating snacks poolside, but by the time he got his phone out the moment was gone. You have to move faster than that when dealing with two-year-olds!

Somehow we got both kids to nap. It doesn’t happen nearly often enough! I’m working away while enjoying my latest book. As mentioned in the title, this Sunday Funday is about my love for audio books.



Since having kids, I’ve found it difficult to find time to read. For years, I used Paperback Swap to get audio books on CD. I tried Audible after my sister got me a three month subscription  for Christmas.

Then I discovered that I could get audio books from the local public library. I don’t need to worry about returning the books. When the time is up they just disappear. Using the OverDrive App, I can listen on my phone. In the car it links up through the Bluetooth to the sound system.



Audiobooks have been the answer to my problems. It doesn’t matter how late I am, the drive to work is still the same length. I still have time to listen to my book. It makes any day better!

(As an aside, I have also used the same app in my classroom!)

Tried it (Techie) Tuesday: Build with Chrome

Last month I came across the Build with Chrome site. My students love building with Legos, so I was excited to try it out.



You need Firefox or Chrome to make this site work. Our IT guy was less than thrilled to have to install these browsers on the 25 iMacs in my classroom. My students, however, love it!

I have tubs of Legos we use in my classroom. So far all I have asked my students to do is to get familiar with the site. In the near future I plan to have students create something with the real Legos and then use the website to create a digital model.

The site has three sections: Academy, Build, and Explore. The Academy is a training mode. My students typically just build.The Explore portion of the site allows Google users to share their creations on top of a Google Earth map.



We’ve taken pictures of some of our favorite creations and added them to our Padlet Galleries. It is a fun site with lots of potential!

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Be sure to check out the others: