A classroom empty of children, backpacks and chatter. Nothing but the rumbling of the heating unit echoing in the stillness of the surroundings. I pull off my shoes and quietly collapse into my teacher chair just for a moment to mull over the day's events. While scanning the crayon boxes, unsharpened pencils, and stacks of ungraded papers I begin to contemplate if my day was productive. I direct my eyes toward the back wall and slowly tilt my head only to discover what appears to be two eyes peering deep into my inner most thoughts. I thought I was alone!
Are the walls of room 186 disclosing years of circumstances that molded me into the educator I now evaluate daily? If they could talk what would they reveal? Would they tell of the numerous students who crossed the threshold of my classroom entering as apprehensive, hesitant, and inconsistent individuals and exiting as confident, upbeat, accomplished human beings? What would your walls reveal? Would they tell of two sister educators spending hours daydreaming of unconventional lessons and wishful thinking of one day disclosing their outlandish ideas with colleagues during trainings, symposiums, or convenings? What would your walls reveal? Would they tearfully share how a teacher comforted her students as they mourned the loss of their classmate to a vicious disease? Would they disclose how that teacher reassured individuals that heaven was real as she wiped tears from the eyes of crying students? What would your walls reveal? Would they chuckle as they shared how three colleagues danced around the room, while Chris Stapleton blared in the background, during the planning of meaningful activities, for a group of impressionable soles? What would your walls reveal? Would they tell of unlimited parent/teacher conversations of carefully mapped out strategies for individual students? What would your walls reveal? Would they tell of a unsure teacher who sought the approval from the commander of a sometimes well oiled ship and sometimes a weakened barge only to be abandoned? What would your walls reveal? Would they tell of shared stories, end of the day hugs, lots of laughter and countless accomplishments? What would your walls reveal? The classroom walls of room 186 encompasses the milestones of an educator and her students, preserving joyous occasions, touching situations, and memorable achievements. I recognize the obvious......my walls can't talk but if they could, what would they reveal?
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Today I am relaxing in my recliner, enjoying the vibrant view through the window while taking the time to post my first blog. Four years ago I implemented the flipped/blended classroom and I must say what a positive difference it has made in my style of teaching and the performance of my students. I am not going to lie, it was grueling to learn a new style of teaching and shift to a fresh method of delivering content. A great deal of personal research was conducted and lots of trial and error. But I never gave up. I teach my students to learn from their failures, and so that is exactly what I did. I have learned that edtech tools are continually changing and in order to remain current, I must keep up with the trend. I utilize a variety of edtech tools and aspire to share a variation of digital programs and how they are manipulated in my classroom. I acquired a plethora of edtech tools through my PLN, conferences, and direct contact with companies. Teachers must stay connected! I am continually retrieving an edtech tool from my toolbox to assist students with their approach to learning. One program I am very impressed with is Seesaw. https://app.seesaw.me/#/login "Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio that empowers students of all ages to independently document and share what they are learning at school." Executing the use of this tool was simple. Students use a QR Code to connect to our page and then the fun begins. Seesaw allows students to upload photos, videos, or documents. They can journal about their experiences and even be creative with drawings. My students have endless opportunities for sharing their learning! Seesaw assist teachers with organization. Subject files can be created to arrange student work. Teachers can quickly and efficiently monitor student work and provide feedback to individuals. Maintaining student work in a digital portfolio eliminates all the filing and responsibility of having to provide storage for all those papers. Seesaw gives teachers access to student work anywhere and anytime without toting a bag full of papers.
Achieve a more efficient portfolio by integrating Seesaw into your classroom! |
AuthorEducator with a desire to link the digital world to my classroom! ArchivesCategories |