Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

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Blogging Book Reviews for Kids

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My oldest daughter, Hanna, will be in first grade this fall, and she’s a REALLY good reader! However, like most parents, I want to encourage her to keep reading and keep getting better! Lately, she’s been complaining that reading “takes too long” or she just doesn’t want to read. This makes my book-loving heart hurt! While we were eating lunch today, Hanna was talking about how much she loves watching tutorials and toy unboxing videos on YouTube (seriously, have you ever watched these things?!) and I had an idea … she could create book review videos! Her own vlog about books that she reads! I introduced this topic to her, and she was immediately excited to get started! Then, she panicked a bit because she was afraid to be in front of the camera … I told her she could create a book blog and share her thoughts about the books she reads with anyone. The response? Hanna’s beautiful blue eyes lit up and she squealed, “I can blog like you, Mommy?!” Absolutely! My daughter will be blogging about the books she reads and is EXCITED ABOUT READING!

 

We came up with this idea at about 1:30 this afternoon, and by 3:00 she has already created her blog (using Google Sites), typed an “About Hanna” section, and chose a picture for Mommy to upload to her site. She’s already figuring out how she wants to set up her blog – she wants to have specific pages for book series (like Amelia Bedelia, Fancy Nancy, etc) and wants to limit each page to 3 or 4 books so “the pages don’t get really long and people don’t see them!” She’s excited to have many different pages, as well. For example, Amelia Bedelia part one, Amelia Bedelia part two, etc.

Hanna is EXTREMELY EXCITED to “read lots of books on this blog.”

I’ll be sure to update you as her blog continues!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Blogging…in the Classroom?! Yes!

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Blogging in the classroom (infographic)We teach in an increasingly digital and connected world…this statement surely comes as no surprise! Our students are constantly plugged in to Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and all of the latest social media and digital components that have become so important in their lives. As educators, sometimes we see these tools as distracting…which they most definitely can be in the classroom. However, if we can integrate technology that our students are using, and using very often, into our curriculum…wouldn’t that be great?!

I’m still new to the blogging world, but as you may notice, I LOVE IT! I have an outlet for all of the ideas I have running through my brain! Sometimes, its almost therapeutic to express what I know about technology through my blog. I’m reading, thinking, writing, and applying knowledge by blogging…aren’t these skills we want our students to hone? So, could we use blogging in the classroom?

The question I always ask when I read about new technology that can be used in the classroom is…HOW CAN I USE THIS IN MY CLASSROOM!?! After a few minutes of brainstorming, here are some ways I’ve compiled to use blogging in the classroom…enjoy and feel free to comment your ideas!

  • Book Reviews
  • Backchanneling
  • Collaborative Projects
  • Journaling
  • Bellringers
  • Collecting Information for Research Papers and Projects
Blogging can also be a tool to encourage your students to create and write professionally. The audience for their project is expanded beyond just the teacher or their classmates…maybe they’ll take more pride in their work! 

I’ve listed some tools teachers can use for blogging in the classroom below. These are just a few suggestions…there are many more tools available!

  • Blogger
  • Kidblog
  • WordPress 
  • Tumblr 

Below are links to some great articles about blogging in the classroom.




Using Technology to Reach an Authentic Audience

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Hello, friends! I hope you’re having a fantastic summer and are finding time for some much needed and well-deserved R&R! My family and I have just returned from a weekend of fun and family time in Branson, MO and we’re prepping for the week ahead. On our four hour ride home through the Ozark Mountains (thank you, Lord, for Dramamine!) we talked about setting goals for the week. Our conversation focused around what we want to learn or accomplish throughout the next week, and a comment from my oldest daughter really had me thinking about how teachers – and parents – can leverage the power of technology to reach an authentic audience.

A little background – my oldest daughter, Hanna, will be entering 2nd grade this fall. She’s brilliant and beautiful and wonderful and amazing – the list goes on and on – but she isn’t a huge fan of reading. She’s a fantastic reader, don’t get me wrong. The kid is reading almost two grade levels ahead of her age, but she just doesn’t love reading. As a reader, it hurts my heart that she hasn’t been bitten by the reading bug. But, we’re working on it. Last summer, when Hanna struggled with wanting to read, I asked her if she wanted to create a blog about the books that she reads (check out Illuminate for ideas on how to get started with book blogging for kids!) and, after hearing her goals for the week, I think we’re going to build upon that idea this summer.

I asked Hanna if she wanted to add book reviews to her blog about the books that she reads. After explaining what a book review is to her – and then calling my mom (an upper elementary/middle school ELA teacher) to figure out a different way to explain the concept, because she wasn’t quite getting it – I saw a gleam in her eye. She’s excited about adding to her blog this summer!

The component of the book review idea that really sparked Hanna’s interest was that the not only gets to use Mommy’s flair pens to create a poster but that she gets to put her reviews on YouTube. When she blogs about the books that she reads, I also record her reading her book and put it on YouTube — I add her videos in “private” mode. When we talked about adding book reviews to her site, she said, “can you put it on YouTube so I can find it? I want to see how many thumbs up I get.” That comment really put into perspective the great motivator that authentic audiences provide for our students. Hanna is going to create the best product she can and use technology to share her work with her authentic audience. She’s a 7-year-old who wants to share her work with the world. How cool is that?

I’ll be sharing Hanna’s reviews with you soon — be sure to give her a “thumbs up” on YouTube when you see it 🙂

What about my youngest daughter, you ask? Molly’s goal for the week is to “learn to read,” so I said we would start with some sight words and build from there. Molly said, “ok, so my ‘scores’ for the week are to learn to read and work on sight words.” She’s a soccer sister 🙂

Check back next week for a new series I’m working on — the F.I.E.R.C.E teacher series.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Teacher Self Care: 3 Ways I De-Stress

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If you’re a teacher, this statement will probably come as no surprise to you: teaching can be stressful. Yes, teaching can be super stressful, not only because of the work that goes into designing lessons and units that help create a meaningful and relevant learning experience for our students. Teaching is, in my humble opinion, one of the most – if not the most – important job on the face of the earth. We are educating, inspiring, and encouraging the future of the world!! No big deal, right? 😉 In short: teachers are awesome!

I, like many of you, have a completely full plate. In addition to teaching high school Social Studies full-time, I’m also an adjunct Educational Technology instructor, blogger (obviously), author (my book will be published in May!), reader, runner, school and church board member, coffee addict, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and MOST IMPORTANTLY a mommy and a wife. I’m often asked how in the world I do all of this, and my response is always “by the grace of God and coffee – in that order!”

However, I do get stressed and overwhelmed at times. Really, though – who doesn’t? Even if you’re not in our line of work, we all find ourselves treading water instead of floating on our backs sometimes. Today, I felt like sharing the ways that I de-stress …

Blogging/Writing
I started blogging in January of 2014 and, since then my blog has become a form of stress relief. I love discussing ideas, reflecting on classroom experiences, and sharing technology tools that can help enhance the learning experience for my students. I’ve found that blogging about my classroom has also allowed me to find my voice as a teacher, connect with other educators around the world, expand my views on what teaching and learning “should look like,” and hold myself accountable for what happens in my classroom.

Exercise
This form of stress relief probably stems from being an athlete in high school and my freshman year in college, but pushing myself to the point of exhaustion for 30 minutes is a fantastic form of stress relief for me. I LOVE running, and my family knows that if Mommy seems a little stressed, she probably needs to go hang out on her treadmill for a bit 🙂 Right now, I’m in the middle of the 80 Day Obsession program from Beachbody, so I’m not running. However, the 30-50 minutes a day of pushing myself helps me clear my mind and refocus on my thoughts.

Reading
I’ve always been a reader -> the idea that I can open a book and jump into a different world is so relaxing for me. As a youngster, I LOVED reading books like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Boxcar Children, and the Babysitter’s Club. It’s no doubt now that reading is still a wonderful hobby. My reading choices are wide-ranging and include everything from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson adventures, to Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books, to books that expand my ideas about classroom instruction and practices. If you’re looking for a book to read this summer, check out my book, Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning! It’s available now on Amazon!

Teaching can be a stressful, challenging profession, but it is also extraordinarily rewarding. It’s important that teachers remember to take care of themselves as we progress through the school year and our careers. I’m often reminded of the phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” which is completely true for life both in and out of my classroom!

What are my plans for this afternoon? Heading to pick up my daughters from school. Then, off to dance class for our youngest, and helping her big sister with homework. Then, home to get supper started, complete an 80 Day Obsession workout while my kiddos play. While waiting for my hubby to get home from work, I’ll probably snuggle my kiddos in the recliner while my oldest reads us a book. Next, it’s time for supper, then baths, then more cuddle time, then off to bed. Hopefully, I’ll be able to squeeze in some reading about developing assessment capable learners.

How do you de-stress and keep yourself refreshed?

Thanks for reading 🙂

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