Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Teaching Excel 2016

Some days you just have to teach things you aren't comfortable with! Excel is one of those things.

I started the class with a FULL disclosure of my discomfort with Excel. I just don't use enough of the functions to be comfortable with doing more than just the basics.  I ended up using some YouTube videos I found that introduced Excel in about 4-5 videos. We'd watch a little, then stop and do what the instructor was telling us.  For the last day, I attempted to help the students recreate a gradebook ledger that they use in each class. We set up the columns, inserted formulas, etc.  There were several times over the days we worked on Excel where students would make a discovery about how to make something work or how to do something better. So, my lack of knowledge was great because it led them to have to figure things out for themselves! That is what makes learning meaningful. 

Here are a few resources I found to help with my Excel instruction:
YouTube videos from Motion Training- Short videos that walk you through the various functions of Excel. Starts basic and works towards more complicated functions of the program.

Kathryn Parry's Excel Lessons- A teacher's webpage from Baker Middle School which is FULL of great resources!

Have you ever taught something you were uncomfortable with? How did you get through it?

Friday, September 9, 2016

Digital Footprint

Common Sense Media has some great resources for teaching digital citizenship.  My daughter is in middle school.  I often look at the feeds belonging to her social media accounts to make sure she is posting appropriately, but also to see what her peers are posting.  It amazes me some of the poor decisions the middle school kids make when they post.  So, I spent this week focused on digital footprints. 

Here is a basic outline of the week:
Intro Video (kids loved that it said BUTTS!)

Common Sense Media Trillion Dollar Footprint Lesson-  The kids were very engaged when discussing the digital footprint of the two candidates.  They really picked up on the flaws in their profiles and posts, and were torn about who to pick. Several said they wouldn't pick either (which is the final decision of the producers.)  The only thing I would do differently next time--- I would show them the candidates letters first, without the other items, and have them make a preliminary decision about who they would pick based on those letters. Then, I'd show them the social media information that the private investigator found, and would see how that information would change their decision.  I think this would make a bigger impression on how important your digital footprint is to you in many areas of your life.

After discussing and sharing their decision about who would be the host, I had the kids use Microsoft Word to create a footprint using inserted shapes.  Then, they added words to their footprint telling what they wanted their digital footprint to look like in 10-15 years (see example below).  I encouraged them to dream big.  They did a great job with the activity.



I wrapped up the lesson with parts of this video talking about their digital dossier.  (Because of time constraints, we watched 2:00-3:45, and 4:50 to the end).  I think the impact here was that their footprint is created by more than just themselves and has been growing since before they were born!

Again, I'm sure there will still be some kids not making good posting choices, but I figure if I made an impact on at least a few then the lesson was a success!

So, whew!, I've made it through another week. One of my biggest challenges is finding meaningful technology lessons that I can tie to our curriculum.  I wonder... what is your favorite resource for finding technology lessons?



Skype in the Classroom

Skype in the Classroom

Last year, I discovered Skype in the Classroom. (What an AWESOME experience!) Recently our 2nd graders read a story about an astronaut's day in space. We skyped with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and it was a fabulous experience. The leader of the skype talked on the kids level and showed them the Intrepid ship, models of the space modules, and the model of the  Space Shuttle Enterprise.  It was great and really held our 2nd graders' attention!   Last year, we skyped with the Turtle Hospital and with a shark expert. Both of those trips were equally as amazing!  I still have yet to try a mystery skype (I haven't seen one in person so am a little uncomfortable with the unknown!), but have read that those are also great experiences.  Any suggestions to making a mystery skype successful would be appreciated!

Google Classroom Success

Google Classroom... go!  One thing our local high school asked us to focus on with our 8th graders was using an online classroom platform.  So, I spent a bunch of time this summer learning the ins and outs of Google Classroom (and even became a Google certified Educator!).  However, just like learning to be a teacher in college, nothing prepares you for actually using it until you actually use it! Overall, we were successful in logging in, changing passwords, and using Classroom.  I kept it simple this week: started with a question, had them complete a google form that told me their thoughts on computer use, and used a few shared documents to make them think about social media posting.

I found a great video by Josh Shipp about Internet Safety for Teens.  I played that for the kids, then had them answer a few questions about the video before turning it in.  (Are you guilty of oversharing?  What surprised you from the video? What would be an example of something your grandma wouldn't approve of you posting?)   Their reactions were honest, and they thought he was funny.  The next day, I had them write fake social media posts that were "rule breakers". For example, what might someone who is sharing TMI say?, what would a bragging post look like?, what would a complaining post look like?  I'd love to be able to follow the kids on social media to see if it makes an impact, but I'm not interested in being "friends" with students. I guess I just have to hope that I've at least made them think before they post!


Friday, August 12, 2016

Rain Date Flexibility

In life, you have to learn to be flexible.  Today taught me that things won't always go as planned. A severe rain event cancelled school. Normally, when I had my own homeroom of third graders, I'd be able to just adjust my plans and continue on where we left off. Not the case with middle school enrichment classes. Today was supposed to be the last day with my class I had this week. I had planned the week perfectly to finish up a project today and also take a typing test to check our progress. With school cancelled, that didn't happen, and I won't see this group for three weeks. Oh well... best laid plans.

This week, we used the Olympics Sport Info site to find information about a sport that the kids didn't know much about. They each picked their own site. Then they used that information to create a short powerpoint.  One slide had to feature bad design (too many pictures, color off, non-readable font...), and one slide had to feature good design.  The kids were amazed that they actually were allowed to create a "bad" slide!  We also googled Olympic Medal Count and used Microsoft Word to create a medal table.  In addition to this, I found some tips and tricks that many people don't know about when using Microsoft Word, and shared these with the kids. It was fun to hear their "wow"s when they used one of the tricks!


Saturday, August 6, 2016


Our new computer lab!

The first week: So many people have asked if I'm excited about my new position. It was a bittersweet decision to leave the comfort of having a 3rd grade homeroom class.  However, it's so much fun to have this new challenge in my career. I know a lot about technology, but I'm also discovering that there is still so much to learn. 

This week, I was reminded that things don't always go as planned. I planned a full hour of class, but had to shorten my plans because of different schedules. To get the students to introduce themselves, but also have some fun, I had planned to use ChalkMotion (a visual storytelling site that uses chalk doodles).  An account and password had been set up, the site had been linked so the kids could access, we were ready.  However, I guess having thirty-two kids access the site at the same time didn't go over well with the website.  We couldn't get it to load after a few had clicked on the link. Oh well...we moved on to plan B. 

I've also been reminded that friends can be a great resource. A fellow teacher sent me information about the Google Docs site Storybuilder.  Our emphasis in our diocese this year is on writing, so this looks to be a fabulous, fun way to get kids to write without it feeling like writing.  When reading about what other things the site could do, I found the "master version", Storybuilder Master, where you "collaborate" with famous writers.  The writers will add to and edit your writing as you write. It was fun to see Emily Dickinson and William Shakespeare (along with many others) edit my writing.

Some ways basic storybuilder could be used:  retell historical story; retell story from character's point of view; incorporate grammar practice - have Annie Adjective make Willie Writer's sentences better; explain a science or math concept. 

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Welcome! I am beginning a new journey as a technology teacher and leader after 19 years as a classroom teacher (3rd and 4th grade). I hope to document my journey and share my ideas and learning through this blog.