Glad to be Back! Because Twitter just doesn't have enough character allowance for me!

It's been over a year! Since my daughter is now able to return to physical activity, yet has some bad days, I feel I have time to return to sharing my experiences and expertise in teaching. Yes, I say expertise. As teachers we need to own that label, not be so humble. We are implementing. We are making it happen. We stumble, fall, and pick ourselves, our students, and their families back up. We are experts. This is hard for us to internalize because there are so many aspects to education that it's impossible to be in expert in it all. One thing we know how to do, and do it everyday, is motivating kids to learn. 

Disclaimer: My opinions are my own. I can be passionate about my opinions and am highly motivated by them, but better than that as an educator I love to change and grow from hearing about what my students, families, and other educators are experiencing and have opinions about. I've noticed that opinions about education/teaching/learning are based on real experiences, and real experiences are the key to change and growth. A pitfall for some can be over generalizing based on experiences. Each child is unique. I've taught over 400 students just in my classroom and have interacted with many others, and not one has been the same. Generalizations make it easier for those involved in research fields of ed. and curriculum development, but teachers know generalizations are biased and impractical. My desire to remain in the classroom as a practicing teacher after 18 years is a reflection of my value of real experiences. I hope the joy of experiencing learning stays in my heart for the next 20 years. On the other hand, my pet peeve and the one thing I just don't get is apathy. My world is filled with the joy and enthusiasm of children, occasionally I've seen some apathetic kids, on rare occasions. All most all of the time there are other stresses or disabilities affecting that child that can mask itself to the outside observer as apathy. So, that is why it is hard for me to be around apathetic people. "If the kids can do it, why can't you?" That's the thought that gets stuck in my mind. There have been very few apathetic people I've met in education. Most  are incredibly motivated. It may not be about what I value that sparks their motivation, but it's still impressive how motivated and dedicated educators are! I happen to work with some of the BEST!

History: This blog was set up 2 years ago in my quest to integrate 1to1 ipads in my classroom. I had this amazing tool and wanted to figure out how my students could use it for research, creation, production, and collaboration. I still have a lot to learn as technology changes, but I'm better. It's been three years of ipad implementation, so I pretty much can say what works and what doesn't. I started a different blog a few years ago for sharing of classroom teaching practices as we transitioned to Common Core Standards. At that time, I was freed from demanding curriculum restraints and was able to implement centers among other things, so I had to remember and find out how teach differently. It was fun, but I didn't make much of it as you see. http://moserssecondgrade.blogspot.com/

Future: As I look to the future of this blog, I'd like to change the name among other things. It will reflect my experiences and expertise in all that is teaching, education, and leaning. Currently, my focus has been environmental education, project based learning, and my never ending quest to find solutions that support struggling readers and their families.

The Beautiful Hum of Children Learning

Last Friday, some students shared their projects. The sound was like a beautiful orchestra to me, so I recorded this harmony to share.

3 Steps to Create Instructional Videos with EDpuzzle

Steps to Use EDpuzzle:

 

1. The YouTube link below is a tutorial explaining how to download instructional video from Vimeo/YouTube/etc. to your computer.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IubsfPD9U9Q

2. Upload video into EDpuzzle app for editting and adding critical thinking, open ended questions.  I like the way I can really target what I want students to attend to in the video.

 

3.  The edpuzzle app allows you to set up a class to review answers with the class and give feedback to students. I have made several videos and see it's value!!!

 

Here is an EXAMPLE:

 

Watch 'How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop.mp4' on EDpuzzle.

https://edpuzzle.com/media/54e8e746df74e777457a765b

The Truth about Standardized Testing!

I was dedicated to the idea of standardized testing for 11 years of my teaching career. From February to May my students immersed themselves in the genre of testing.  I taught countless short term memory skills for math and spent countless hours building my students' stamina to read passages and answer questions.  My students were so prepared for the test that by the time the test came around it was easier for my students than the practice tests. Practice, more practice, and short term memory strategies proved to be successful.  My students performed very well on state testing so well that other teachers spread rumors that I might be cheating.
During those years I always felt I was doing what was best for my students. I whole-heatedly believed that I was helping my students develop an Advanced and/or Proficient label for themselves.  During conferences, workshops, and meetings I listened as educators labeled students into categories, and the last thing I wanted for my students was to be labeled Below Basic or Far Below Basic which I felt set them up for failure in the eyes of their next year's teachers/educators.
The reason I reflect on this now is simple. We are returning to the teach to the test philosophy!  During my grade level meeting last Wednesday, we discussed INSPECT testing questions. These are basically the same questions as in the past! We've been down this road before which resulted in a damaging labeling process.
I have mastered the process of teaching to the test, and it's a waste of students' valuable learning time.  There is no creativity, collaboration, innovation, or communication involved. I'd rather quit teaching then go back to months of shoving short term memory information into my students.     

Words to Encourage Growth Mindset

I need to remember this! It's so easy to slip back into general praise and/or praise with intent to improve. 

I remember reading the results of a study where students learn by age 7 that those given praise are in need of improvement. This made sense to me because I see how my words fed into this belief.

I also see how my words effect students internal dialogue and perception of self.

Some basics are exciting and motivational to young students!

Future Ready includes students learning foundational reading skills.

Some basic reading skills like how to decode larger words by identifing syllable patterns, breaking words apart while sounding out and thinking through words are not as exciting for teachers, but it's not for the teacher! It's exciting for 7 and 8 year olds to learn about words. They rejoice in being word detectives and take pride in learning to decode and encode larger words. Basic skills instruction is not as flashy as supporting students as they create a video production, but it's exciting for students to learn literacy skills and experience success. Primary teachers and educators must remember that young students are thrilled by learning about words. Just don't make it a competition. Rewards for reading and spelling simply reward readers and good spellers who already feel successful while at the same time make those learning to read feel like failures or inadequate at reading.

Reading is not magic... It is taught... The magic recides in the teacher who remembers the basics are FUN for students even when the instruction seems mundane or ordinary. 

The light of excitement on a child's face as they learn a simple decoding skill is anything but mundane... extraordinary!

7 Apps Used Daily and Routinely by Students

7 Apps Used Daily and Routinely by Students

Edmodo

Morning journal topics include a post with two replies.

Many students also use this app to help each other after school with homework, get my help after school, or to simply practice digital citizenship by sharing about themselves. I post pictures of students to build our classroom community, and reply to posts modeling how to appropriately comment and give positive feedback.

Numberkiz

During and after math lessons students illustrate, discuss, and share math process with this whiteboard app which contains math manipulatives.
 

IXL

Daily common core math practice routine during 15 minutes between intervention groups and lunch. 

Happytrack

At the end of each day, the students reflect and rate their day on a scale of 1 to 10, and write at least 4 sentences describing their day. The timed notification feature is great for classroom management. We have it set for 2:05 which helps us start our end of the day routine.

Showbie

I post assignments from various subjects and students complete, submit, resend, and reflect on assignments.  I give corrective feedback.

Reminders

Students type in homework assignments.

Notes

Student type spelling, vocabulary, or writing homework.