Genius Hour Products

The students have had such a great time with Genius Hour.  It has been an awesome experience for the students to have access to the iPads and Chromebooks.  The students have learned  much about their topic and then been able to share their new knowledge with their peers.

                Miss Gardner helps Gage and Ethan get everything just right.

                   Aymee and Chloe work together on Buddy Poke.

                 Noah is working diligently on his Haiku Deck presentation.

The students have done an amazing job with transferring the information from their research into technology products. There was definitely a learning curve for all of us as we learned the apps.  It is always amazing to me how quickly the students can learn this stuff.  Much more so than me. However, I must say that for this to be my first time using so many of these tools, I am quite proud of myself as well.

Some of the students chose to do Haiku Deck.  They integrated a Word Cloud into their presentation. Other students chose to do Buddy Poke, Slide Paper Videos, and iMovie.

Hayden's Slide, Paper Video about the origin of Video Games

Ethan's Buddy Poke about the origins of Football

                         
Andraya presented a Buddy Poke about Christmas.

                                     
 Madison uses Sticky Notes and Buddy Poke to tell about education in the US.

Khania also uses Sticky Notes and a Buddy Poke to tell about Pandas

                            Tommy tells about the origins of Pizza.

                  Chloe teaches us abut George Washington.

Kobe and Aymee's Buddy Pokes

Karlie's Buddy Poke about the California Gold Rush

Lauren integrated a Word Cloud with her Haiku Deck.



Soccer - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Shelly integrated a Haiku Deck and a Word Cloud to tell us all about Golden Retrievers.



Golden Retrievers - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Copy of Robotics - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires



Jersey shares information about Robotics in her Haiku Deck and Word Cloud.

Does it Go Away?

As the holiday season is now here I have to wonder does it get easier?  When my Daddy died 3 1/2 years ago it wasn't a surprise.  He had cancer 3 times and the doctors were very upfront that this 3rd time would kill him.  His last operation was a year ago yesterday.  I will never forget the news from the doctor that he was giving my Daddy 6 months at best.  How do you begin to deal with this type of news?

I can honestly say from experience that you learn to accept things and make the best out of every little minute that you with that special person.  You learn to cherish every little word that they say and every action they make.  You cherish the gift of every day.  I had about 4 months with my Daddy since the time he was diagnosed until his death.

I know from losing my Mother very tragically 13 years ago that this sadness will go away and things will eventually get easier, but I just wonder when?

Taking Off with a Bang

Genius Hour

So as part of my Pinnacle responsibilities, I am supposed to showcase for my peers, great things that are happening in my class with the iPads.  This is where Genius Hour comes in. I really and truly did not know anything about Genius Hour when I began Pinnacle training. Through my summer training, I learned some about it and thought this might just be what I wanted to showcase.   I have done a lot of research about Genius Hour.  Honestly, and I am not ashamed to admit it, I have found tons of information of Pinterest, my guilty pleasure.  

To begin Genius Hour, I started by launching some videos that gave an oversight.  I then gathered information about interests of the students, as well as informed parents of what we were doing in class.  At this point, we are in various stages in Genius Hour.  Some students are still researching and some have begun to create their products.  We have many different apps that are being utilized at this point.  The kids are loving Genius Hour and so is their teacher.

It's already been 5 weeks!

It seems surreal to think that we have been in school 5 weeks at this point.  Then there at times that it seems like I have been with this particular group of kids for much longer.  It is amazing how fast you can bond with a group and make them your own.  That is how I feel about my kids each year.  They become my own and just as a mother would, I try to help them with their problems, care for their needs, and then teach them.  When a child comes in hurting or hungry, the teaching just has to take a back seat.  I feel very strongly that you have to teach the whole child.  In the teaching role, you become so many things to a child.  It is my hope and prayer that I can be exactly what each of "my" kids need this year.

The Fist and the Glove

In the article, "The Ben Bloom Fist in the SAMR Glove", the author is examining the relationship between Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy, the SAMR Model by Ruben Puentedura, and Gregory Kulowec's invention of app-smashing.

The author relates to us that when she gives a project that is going to involve technology, she doesn't dictate what apps must be utilized to complete the project.  The first step in app smashing needs to be that the teacher examines and sets the educational goal(s).  Then with students input, together they can agree on which apps to use in completing the project.  One thing to keep in mind when app smashing is that the amount of apps utilized is not as important as the quality of the apps used.

In the illustration, the reader can see that Bloom's Taxonomy is displayed in an equitable way.   The apps a teacher uses should fit together just like the glove in the illustration.  The author stated that she uses the SAMR Model as the lacing of the glove.  This was used to show the interdependence of the glove and the lacing.  The SAMR model helps teachers to be able to reflect on their own instructional practices.  When used effectively teachers will see the connection.

And now it's August

It is just hard to believe that summer is soon coming to an end.  This has been a summer that didn't provide much down time for me.  This has been a summer in which I attended more staff development, workshops, conferences, and special trainings like none other.  I have stayed so busy and have learned so much.  All of the time I have spent in class has been time well spent.  I am grateful for the opportunities that have been provided to me.  

There is so much that I have learned about teaching students, as well as teaching adult learners.  I am excited about the new school year and the opportunities that it will provide.  As each group of student's are different, so are some of  the ways that I will approach teaching these.  I feel like I have a new set of tools in my chest that I am equipped to use.  

Whatcha Doing This Summer?

So summer vacation has begun.  Well wait a minute, for me, not so much.  It appears now that at a minimum 15 of my days this summer are going to be spent in classes.  Some of them, I asked for, others not so much. So many people think that teachers get their summers off.  I do not know very many teachers that are able to just hang by the pool all summer long.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Most of the teachers I know are spent working on materials for the next school year, pursuing advanced degrees, or working a second job to make ends meet.  It really bothers me the image that the public has of teachers and their summer breaks.  The question is... how can we change the image?
.
.