Nine Weeks Later....

OMG!  It has been a whirlwind of a beginning of school for me.   This school year is really going quite well; however I am working with 170 freshmen in an urban high school.  I have nice kids, mean kids, happy kids, sad kids...all kinds of students.  

It has been my goal for the last 2 years to decrease my paper usage and to that end, I have had to look for and implement apps and websites that would not only entertain, but create challenging, engaging lessons and activities not paper based...WHEW!

I am loving it!  The students are getting used to it and I am being stretched to capacity (brain-wise) in the process.  Two apps/websites I am encouraging you to try are Classkick &  Edpuzzle.com.   Check them out and I promise to blog again...soon!

OMG...It is August!

www.teacherspayteachers.com

My store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Live-Love-Teach-Biology

YIKES!!!  It is August and I am  not ready to go back to the grind!  But time marches on and I will not cheat my students just because I need a little more Summer!  Before heading back to the classroom,  it is a good idea not to go back empty handed.   And as the faces of our profession changes, so should the methods we use to teach them. 

Tomorrow and Tuesday the teacher resource site,  www.Teacherspayteachers.com is having a Back to School Sale and you are invited to attend.  Check out all of the resources and stores and purchase at least one new, innovative resource to use in your classroom this year. 


Enjoy!

Summertime is Slipping Away

I know it has been over a week since I last made a blog post. The reason for my lapse is that I have been asked to roll out Windows 365 for our school. This year it is being called a soft roll-out (not required by teachers) and I am one of the  teachers from our building who is assisting with this product. This program is a bit challenging for me, but I am coming along slowly and steadily! Thank God I am not expected to use this full out this school year!

 In just a little more than 2 weeks school will be in full swing for me! I am not dreading the beginning of school, but like most educators, I could use another week or two in get myself in order, LOL! One thing that helps me to feel motivated is to get new items for my classroom. Only other teachers would understand the feeling of getting a brand new PENCIL SHARPENER!!! I ordered Pink Sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies…with free shipping as well!!! 


  Enjoy the rest of your Summer!!

Time to go Shopping

Are you looking for some new resources to liven up your teaching this fall?  Well, the Indiana 

Blogger Group is hosting a Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) sale called Christmas in July!  With this sale

 you will be able to get excellent resources for just one dollar...a buck...$1.  You really can't go wrong

 at that price.  Please consider joining a spending a buck or two!

An InLinkz Link-up

Resources!!!!

Back in May, I attended my first webinar.  It was put on by SimpleK12 and I really liked it.   The moderator actually had so much good information I am still trying to check into it all.   During the 2 days, we were introduced to many educational apps!!  I have been experimenting with 2 of my new fave resources and let you know how the app might be useful in your classroom. 

Edpuzzle.com

Edpuzzle…Love, Love, Love Edpuzzle.com   Edpuzzle.com allows a teacher the opportunity to modify videos to fit exactly what is needed in a class.  In Edpuzzle.com the selected video can be cropped, questions added, and/or voice overs created. On this site, teachers are required to set up classes and add their videos to the class making them accessible to the students. 

Schoology

Schoology is an app similar to Otusplus.  Both of these apps are considered “learning management system” apps and are generally used as a ‘jump off point” for students.  The main reason for having and using an LMS is that students can get used to getting on task right away- increasing time on task!! 

If you are planning on blending more technology in your classroom or just want to begin adding technology little by little, I suggest you look into these resources and more!  

Readin' & Shoppin'

I have been in a Summer Book Club for educators for the past week.  I am learning so much from other educators about how to energize my teaching for next year.  I am having an awesome time being a learner.  A good teacher has to enjoy learning and I had forgotten how I like learning and need learning.  Got me?   If you are like me and you’re in need to a bit of rejuvenation before going back in the fall, I recommend this book. Easy read and it really has good ideas to get teachers fired up about teaching. 

I need to honest not only have I been reading to prepare for the new school year, I have been shopping as well.  I am putting pictures of two gems I found at Target in the “One Dollar+” bins that are located in each Target store near the entrance.   I am going to put both of these up in my classroom.  The rules are spot on and the inspirational words will remind me why I am teaching.  I am praying for guidance and a great school year!  

Words to teach by

 

A creative way to say what we always say!

A Great Way to Begin!

It is already July and in just a few short weeks school will be back in swing.  If you are like me, you were given an iPad and now you need to do something with it.  The students, they say, are Internet natives and the teachers are the Internet immigrants.  Well, I have found out that the students really are very good at navigating social media sites and can find videos on nearly every subject matter on YouTube.   When it comes to actually using the Internet for research or to do an assignment, the students really need the teacher’s assistance. 

How do you organize your technology days?  Do you have favorite apps and/or websites that are your ‘go to’ sites?  If you are searching for a platform to guide your students towards, I suggest trying out OTUSplus.com.  

All you need to do is to download the app and get working.   Please go online and read the information on Otus.  

As it gets closer to school starting, I will continue adding my personal favorite iPad apps and such.  Check them out and let me know what you think.  Also, feel free to add apps and websites you like using.  

Currently July 2015

So here I am about to attend my very first “Currently Linky Party” and I am so stoked!  I am linking up with Oh Boy 4th Grade

Listening

I am currently listening to last night’s episode of Big Brother.  I am only listening to it because I actually watched the show last night when it aired; however my daughter was not home so she is watching it now. 

Loving

I love playing Cookie Jam.  I used to be addicted to Candy Crush but eventually that game got too hard and I switched to Cookie Jam.  Now I play it all of the time.  Well, I play until I run out of lives and/or my carpel tunnel kicks in and renders my hands dead! 

Thinking

My thoughts right now are anxiously happy concerning this weekend.  I am going to a family reunion on Saturday.  Yes, July 4^th… my family has decided we should have a Reunion but since we have not had one in probably 20 years so I guess we are due one.   But on the fourth??  I know, there will never be a good time for everyone so I need to suck it up and go.   

Wanting

I really want a housekeeper!  Today as I drove to breakfast I realized that I am covert hoarder.  I know that sounds weird, but if you came to my home, you would not know all of the stuff I have filled the house with.  However, the closets and cabinets tell quite a different story. 

Needing

I need motivation to get off of my tablet, computer, iPad and phone.  I absolutely love being connected to everyone everywhere and since I am not working this summer, it is so much fun.   I have been productive this summer.  I have worked on products needed for next school year; however not as much as I have “pinned”, “liked”, & “followed”. 

All-Star

I pride myself in being upbeat and positive.  In this day and age of so much negativity on the news and in our communities it is very difficult for some people to find a reason to get up and move forward.  Whenever I am faced with someone who feels like giving up, I do my best to bring positiveness to his/her life.

  

Let's get in Kahoot!

It has been a long yet wonderful week for me!  I had the pleasure of spending time with some energetic youngsters who just happen to be my nieces and nephews!  Our time together was spent bowling, skating, playing laser tag, and the icing on the cake was a trip to The Children’s Museum in Indianapolis.  Unfortunately I did not spend much time on the Internet looking for resources; however, I spent lots of quality time with the munchkins! 

As I was starving for my daily dose of “webicine” I decided to engage the 5-11 year-olds in an online game I used in my classes last year.  The good news is that they loved the game and wanted to play it over and over again!

Kahoot! Is the game.  Kahoot! is an online review tool that masquerades as a ‘game’.  This game is fun, engaging, and can be challenging.  I suggest you check this game out.  There are well over 2.7 million Kahoot games that can be used immediately!  Actually, if you browse the Kahoot archives you will undoubtedly find a game to play with your friends and family.  If you don’t find what you need or want, create your own game.  You will need to create an account to get started, so get moving!!

To find this treasure…go to https//:create.kahoot.it and get started!

A Wonderful Interactive, Engaging, Easy-to-use Tool

Have you settled into the calmness called Summer Break yet? As you are chillin' and playing Candy Crush or whatever your guilty pleasure is, why not check out a piece of technology that just might work for you and your students.  

For most of us the school year and all of its craziness is just around the corner and you and I will be expected to ‘hit the ground running’.   What in the what does that really mean?  It means that our plans will need to be done, our rooms need to be decorated, and our technology game needs to have improved over last year. 

Technology game?  What in that world is that?  Well for me it means I should be prepared to roll out engaging, exciting, rigorous activities using more than just paper & pencil and/or talk ‘n’ chalk.

While perusing my school email yesterday I came across a sale I have already taken advantage of.   www.nearpod.com is hosting a 50% off sale on their programs!  Repeating…50% off.  Now you don’t have to be a mathematician to know that this is quite a sale!    Also, there are many FREE presentations you can download and use in your classrooms!!

“With Nearpod you create or download interactive presentations to engage your students using any device”.  Taken directly from the Nearpod website. 

Go ahead and create your account.  You will love it.  When students are on a Nearpod presentation, they are forced to move at your pace.  Students stay interested and the lessons are good for preview, review, or just reinforcement of topics. 

Once you check it out, please comment on this post and let me know what you think.

So Many Apps, So Little Time!

As the school year ended, our  school district’s technology department requested the secondary teachers with iPads to take the iPads with them for the summer and explore the various applications and other interesting qualities of this tablet.   Sounds like an awesome assignment if you have explored the App Store or you are an iPad regular. But what teacher really has time for all of that?  

Just how many apps are there?  I ‘Googled’ this question and I found out that there are millions of apps.  In the Apple App Store there are 1.4 million apps.  I know we have the summer off, but 1.4 million apps are a bit much for most teachers…most people to peruse!   So let’s narrow it down to just education apps…there are a whopping   80,000 Education Apps!!   Again, ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’

So if you are wondering where you should start, I am going to list a few of my favorites.   Each of these apps is offered free in the app store so check them out and let’s talk about it. 

Education Apps:

• Socrative:  This app provides a platform for making and giving paperless quizzes and exit slips to individual students. 
• Handouts:  This is an app that allows teachers to give out worksheets without using paper.  The students are then able to ‘write’ on the worksheets. 
• Showbie:  Showbie is similar to Handouts and works the same way. 
• Class Dojo:  Class Dojo is an app that assists with classroom management.  Check it out…cool app!
• Educreations:  This app allows students a chance to show comprehension without paper. 

Low- tech notes I took during a Webinar

Technology...Schmechnology...Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!

So after  teaching using the traditional methods, I am attempting to not only integrate technology into my classroom, and I am trying to go...PAPERLESS!!!   Yes for someone who uses a forest's worth of paper each school year, this has been a bit of a challenge to say the least.

I have been a science teacher in a public school in Indiana for the last 29 years of my life.  Like other educators I have seen lots of changes in kids, teachers, teaching styles, school schedules and all. However the technology boom is here and if I don't hop on the train, I am bound to be left at the gate.

My journey started years ago when I would take students to the computer labs to complete projects or look at websites related to the topics being studied.  I loved doing this because the kids seemed to engage better whenever there was a change of rooms.  This process was good and efficient...and even today, the laptop labs and classroom computer labs provide students with a chance to access information from around the world.

I needed a way to perk up my lessons and fire me up enough to reach the finish line called RETIREMENT!


iHeartBio,
Reba

Introducing....Co-Pilot First Class!!

Like many other teachers, I knew it was imperative that I add a technology piece to my teaching repertoire.  So I started the school year the same way I ended the previous one.  I stalked our school tech coordinator and bugged the Principal to let me get my hands on those iPads.  Lo and behold I got a cart with 30 working iPads to use. I just knew I had landed in education heaven! However the weeks and months that followed taught me more than I ever imagined!

Next post will highlight some of the adventures my Co-pilot & I had!

This is my co-pilot the iPad Cart!

iHeartBio,

Reba

Year End Reflection!

Another school year is history!!!   2014-2015 marked my 29th year of teaching and my 47th year of going to school.   When 2013-2014 ended, I really felt like I had lost my effectiveness and therefore I secretly abhorred those "lucky" retirees.   As they prepared to embark on a new adventure that did not include nearly 200 high schoolers, papers to grade, lessons to plan, meetings to attend and such, I prepared for another year of  SSDD...Same Stuff...Different Day!  

So...over the summer I decided I needed to reinvent myself as a teacher.  I was in desperate need of some rejuvenation to get me prepared to give the next set of Freshmen who were scheduled to have me for Biology the best education I could give.  But that would mean I would have to put on my big girl undies and do things differently...put some UMPH in my teaching!!!

 Reinvention Strategies:

• Interactive Science Notebooks
• Copious Amounts of iPad Apps
• Collaborative End-of-Course Groups

Each of these strategies will be explained in subsequent blog posts...Keep watching and reading...it will be worth your time!

iHeartBio,
Reba