Whirlwind of a start

I can't believe that we are halfway through the first marking period. We had midterms earlier this week and it was eye opening to both some students and parents. Middle school is a little different than elementary school and the expectations have moved the bar up just a bit. Overall, I think the transition for most kids went very well.

Classes are going well. The resource rooms are going slower than I would like but we will speed up at some point. I have found that one day worth of lesson plans in those classes last me two or more days. But, the kids are showing growth. Even though we are 1 to 1 with an iPad for each student, I put into place a interactive math book. In the book, we have the typical table of contents, but I have also included their "I Can" statements complete with a place to show they that they can solve the problems. In addition, I have started to add a QR Code that links to a You Tube Video on how to do the skill. Sometimes we all need a little help remember what we did in class.

I am still loving my iPad classes. I can count more days when everything is working and going well. Although this week was another story. Everything went wrong. The projector bulb is quickly dying, my Activboard wouldn't work, the laptop was stuck at the loading Windows screen and then went black, and then the Internet wasn't working. Days like that make me want to cry and I feel like a failure to my students. I have to remember to take a step back and realize there are so many amazing things that the kids are creating. We just finished creating Snap Guides which are how to guides. I saw everything from how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to how to put a saddle a horse. My 7th graders were more willing to take risks with this. They loved eating all the things that people created in class. The 6th graders kept it a little safer. It was amazing to see a student type on a braille typewriter and the confidence that they showed. Typically we don't always see the confidence in kids, but this project brought it out.

There are always a ton of ideas swirling around in my head in relation to the iPad and student creations. Some of them work, others are HUGE failures.  Still a learning experience for all of us,

Beginning of the school year

Welcome back to another year in school. I consider the Tuesday after fair break to be the second First Day of School! The kids thought I was a little crazy until I explain.

The days up until fair break gave me an opportunity to learn about them and their abilities. Everyone is still on their best behaviors, pencils are shiny and they are excited to show what they can do. Until we get into the school building I often don't know what technology is really working.  I learned so much about the kids that some of them showed animals at the fair, others were excited to be spending the time with family and friends. The Tuesday after fair break allows me to get into the content without feeling that I did not give the kids ample time to show me who they are. Now that we are back, tech issues are on the mend. I was able to get everyone into +Schoology and also into their Google Accounts. Both made me happy.

Over break I spent some time looking at the information the kids provided me the first days. I asked 2 essential questions:
1. What do you need from me as a teacher to be successful?
2. What are you looking forward to learning about in ___________ class? (I teach iPad 6 and 7, Reading, English, and Math)

I loved how honest they were when answering the questions. Some answered that they wish the teachers would read material to them to "sometimes we just need a break". What I realized is that I needed to do a better job celebrating my student's success. With that idea I created a hallway Twitter wall. Right now we are using the #success for the students to write about some of the things they are happy they have been successful at. I can't wait to see what people post about. I don't only want it to be students but also the adults around them. It is important that we model for the students that we can celebrate little successes.

New Marking Period

I am hoping that this will take off a little more now that we are done with delays and cancellations. If you are interested in being a guest blogger for us, please let me know. If there is a topic that needs to have information put out there, please let me know.

Now for some MAJOR KUDOS

- the 3rd marking period iPad class: Your movies were great. I think for the most part, they were honest and opened up a great deal of discussion. Keep up the amazing work. 
- RR English 8: I think you guys have me teetering on the edge of my pinnical as an educator. I gave you want I needed to cover yet, you spoke up, decided to tackle research and you guys are setting the rubric for the assignment. By now you guys know what I expect from you. Thanks for making me teary eyed in class. 
- Mrs. Lilley: We owe use a HUGE Thank you. You turn on the app store, you turn off the app store. You are allowing us to customize the iPads for each student. Thank you. 

Information and Updates

Dates to know: 

April 2-4 Spring Break

April 18 No School: Good Friday

April 23 Arts Festival

April 30 Midterms

May 1 Reading OAA

May 6 Math OAA

May 7 Science OAA for 8th grade. BE QUIET IN THE HALLS

10 Things To Remember When Emailing Your Teachers

Welcome to the inaugural post for our iPad class. I hope that we will be able to have some guest bloggers to pass along important information to us.

Top 10 Tips for E-mail Etiquette

10.Think, write, and think again.

9. Use the subject line to let people know the purpose.

8. Always start with a greeting and end with a signature. "From My iPad" is not a closing.

7. Do not send all of your messages as URGENT. Ever hear the story of the little boy who cried wolf?

6. Don’t SHOUT at your recipient.

5. Proof, spell check and use proper formatting.

4. Remember that your tone of voice can’t be heard in your email

3. Be brief and to the point.

2. Teachers do not appreciate slang or text talk.  For example, "Yo. Wuz up, dog?"

1. Remember that email is not private.