Technosized Academy

2 days of Technosized Fun! I have LOVED the last 2 days! This is by far one of the best parts of my job....teachers, technology, training, and energy!

Yesterday's Technosized Academy was AWESOME! We had a fantastic turnout and wonderful presenters! Thanks to everyone who made it possible! We hope make the Technosized Academy an annual event!

Shout out to the Super-iPadSquad ---- I had a blast today w/ the CHES & MCES crew! Thanks for asking me to be a part of your iPad integration. I hereby deem you all the Super-iPadSquad -- Teacher Up!

St. Clair Career Day & Farm Day

Friday was career day at St. Clair Elementary School! I felt honored to be invited to speak to the K-5 students. The kids were engaged, respectful, and ask pertinent questions about my career. I must add - it was fantastic! As a former high school teacher, being able to interact with students from multiple grades levels is by far one of the highlights of my current position. After I explained the intricacies of my career, we had a little fun with technology. You guessed it, the iPads and they loved it!

Part of my presentation involved explaining the differences in classroom technology today compared to when I started teaching in 1999. While preparing for career day, I realized that we could look to farming as an example of how technology integration is beneficial to society and especially production. In today’s agricultural environment, technology is imperative for production. I personally feel that technology is imperative for today’s educational environment.

You might be asking yourself how on earth I came up with a farm analogy. Well, I had the privilege of attending farm day on Thursday. If you've never been to farm day, you've missed out on a big treat! I was impressed with the variety of activities that was offered to all 2nd grade classes for the entire county. The high school students and community volunteers did an excellent job at explaining the differences in agricultural today compared to years ago. One of the highlights was the cattle area. The students were introduced to a milking cow and learned about the different types of cattle. They were told that cows used to be milked by hand but now a machine was attached to the udders for massive milk production. This is a much more efficient way to get milk in large quantities. The next station enabled the kids to 'milk' an udder. Needless to say, they thoroughly enjoyed it! 

My impression from farm day: times change and we have to change with them if we want to be sustainable,  especially in education. A farmer who is relying on milk sales to provide for his family would be more prosperous by utilizing technology for collecting milk in masses verses using his hands. Technology enables him to collect milk from multiple cows at one time. This increases his milk production and his earning potential. I'm not comparing children to cattle but the analogy would still be applicable. Utilizing technology enables teachers to reach out to a variety of learners and hold their attention. To me, implementing technology in the classroom enables students to maintain focus and sustain knowledge. This results in an increase in student engagement which leads to productivity in the classroom. My theory: if students are engaged, they are attentive. Attentive students lead to an environment conducive to learning. The learning potential increases because the teacher has fewer disruptions due to discipline issues.The trickle down effect isn't a larger salary but it does foster a larger knowledge base. I truly believe that students retain more when they are interested in the way the material is being presented. Much like an active machine makes the milking industry more productive, the actively engaged learning environment equates a more productive learner.

Little Things

May is always a whirlwind of activity as we try to wrap up the year. It can be stressful as you finish paperwork, get your grades entered, get your room straightened, plus plan school activities and daily lessons. During the chaos, I'm reminded that the little things can mean the most. The little things can have a huge impact on the children in our schools. When we stop to listen to a student telling about his/her favorite part of the day, or listen when they tell us about upcoming vacations, or listen when they tell us they will miss a teacher during the summer, it makes us realize that each teacher has the ability to make a tremendous impact on a child. Just think, by taking a little time to listen you made a child feel important. Knowing that you have been the highlight of their day should make your heart feel a little warm. For me, these are reminders that I hold dear when I may not always feel that I'm effectively maintaining my usual routine. When I'm in schools, I feel productive when I accomplish the little things and you should too!
 

Quick update

• Technosized Academy is under way...please register this week, we're in the process of getting the sessions put together & organized, hope to send out a list of sessions to registrants by the end of next week...I look forward to seeing you at the Technosized Academy on May 24th!!
  
• STEM Academy at the L&N in Knox County on Saturday was one of the most relaxing conferences I've had the pleasure of attending...for you, check out Live Binders (tons of resources & easy to create), Edmodo (set our district up last May but haven't plugged it yet, great way to blog w/ your class), Flipped Classroom (amazing!, happy to share my thoughts if any of you are interested)
  
• Summer Opportunity - ITA in Loudon at Eaton Elementary School on June 21st ---- free Instructional Technology Academy open to all of our teachers

App Ideas

• StoryKit - assign kids a topic, let them be the author of their own story, type/add pictures/paint
• Mad Libs - classic fill in the blank that we loved as a kid except you fill in the blank on the iPad
  
• Science 360 - great science lessons, learning curve - use your fingers for navigation and page option, wifi is a must
• This Day In History - daily update on historical moments

Websites

• Animoto - have your students make a quick video that highlights their favorite lesson from this year, don't forget -- it's FREE for educators, click on the link on the bottom left of the page to register
• Voki - create a 60 second Voki avatar to engage your students & peak their interests
• WallWisher - create one for your class & let your students post a note that lists their favorite memory from lesson this year
• Wordle or Tagxedo - ask your students for words that describe your class and use one of these websites to tie it into a neat little cloud

Looking Ahead

Happy to report that we have a new tech coach for next year!

Be thinking....how can we assist you next year, what are some resources you'd like to see, is there anything specific that you'd like us to model in your classroom?? All thoughts and suggestions are welcome!