Teaching with Technology

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

Try this Tomorrow: Talks with Teachers Podcast

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Merry Christmas Eve, friends! My family and I just got home from Christmas Eve Church after our second Christmas celebration in as many days. We spend Christmas Adam, or Christmas Eve Eve (Friends is probably my favorite TV show of all time!) with my husband’s side of the family, Christmas Eve with my Mom’s brothers and my cousins at one of their homes in St. Louis, and then spend Christmas Day at my parents’ house with my Dad’s sister and my cousins. The day after Christmas has also become a quasi-holiday in our family because we go “Day After Christmas Shopping” with our stocking money from my parents. Yes, my sister and I, along with our husbands still get money in our stockings from my parents – we’re very spoiled and very thankful. This brief post is the beginning of my Christmas present to you – a new podcast for teachers!

That’s right! My new podcast, Try this Tomorrow: Talks with Teachers, will debut in January of 2019 which, in case you’re like me and have totally lost track of December, is in just a few days! The goal of my new podcast, just as with my book, Illuminate, is to provide teachers with actionable and practical tips that they can use in their classroom to enhance student learning. Yes, there will be technology tips (the title of my podcast comes from the end of each chapter from my book!) but the Try this Tomorrow won’t be limited only to technology integration. Each episode will also feature fun stories from the trenches, tips for juggling the busy lives that teachers lead, favorite resources for teachers, and of course, teaching tips that teachers can implement in their classrooms immediately.

I hope you’ll join me and my guests on this super-fun podcast! All of the episodes will be available here along with an outline that highlights the main points from the discussion. You’ll also be able to listen to Try this Tomorrow: Talks with Teachers wherever you get your podcasts.

Check back soon for more information!! I’m SUPER excited to dive into the world of podcasting in 2019! What new adventures will you begin?

Thanks for reading 🙂

What’s On Your Classroom Christmas List?

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Hello, and happy Saturday! Now that my daughters are both out of school, Christmas break has officially started! We’ll be heading to my parents’ house this morning for our annual Christmas cookie baking extravaganza, which really means my sister, my daughters, my mom, and I will destroy the kitchen while my dad sneaks cookies and comments on the mess we’re making 🙂 This year, my almost one-year-old nephew (he’s pure perfection) will get to join in the fun – that is, if we can all stop fighting over who gets to hold him long enough for him roll some cookie dough or sneak a piece of candy!

In addition to teaching high school Social Studies, I’m also an adjunct instructor of Educational Technology. I LOVE teaching this class because it gives me the opportunity to fulfill one of the goals of my book, Illuminate. I want teachers everywhere to know that technology is a tool that can be used to enhance student learning and NOT something that will or should be intended to replace teachers. I also want teachers to remember that technology integration is not another “thing” that teachers have to “do” in their classrooms or something that they should add to their already too long list of expectations and requirements. It’s not about the tech; it’s how you use it!

One of the assignments in my class requires students to write a blog post on our class blog that describes their perfect classroom. What does it look like? What resources do you have at your disposal? If you had all the money in all the world, how would you design your classroom to best meet the needs of your diverse learners? Since I require my students to communicate and reflect using technology, I thought I should probably do the same! Also … my daughters have been making and editing (seriously, three days until Christmas!) their Christmas lists, and it’s putting me in the wishlist-making mood!

Here’s my classroom Christmas list:

First and foremost, I want to make sure I’m clear on the fact that I am VERY blessed in my classroom. I teach in a 1:1 environment with a flexible seating option and am able to flip my Government classes, blend my dual credit classes, post YouTube videos of “raps” my students and I create to help them remember course concepts, play games that normally include me standing on a table, etc. It’s pretty great. However, if I had, as I tell my students, tons of money to spend on my classroom, I would probably start by adding more flexible seating to my classroom. I would love to have bar-height tables to accommodate students who would rather stand when they work. Sometimes when I’m blogging especially, I find myself standing by my kitchen counter instead of sitting at my desk or on my couch. Other times, I’m writing to you from the comfort of my recliner, snuggled up with a blanket while Harry Potter or a presidential documentary gently hums in the background. 

Continuing with the flexible seating topic – I’d like to one day have loungers for students who would rather lay back to work. Again, sometimes when I’m working from home, I’m propped up on pillows in my comfy bed … if I’m in bed, Outlander or Once Upon A Time is probably on my TV providing me with some wonderful background noise 🙂

This year, I had the opportunity to include bungee type chairs in my classroom. I’ve noticed, though, that when students sit in those “comfy” chairs as they’re called, they’re not able to reach our tables comfortably. This limits their workspace – while it doesn’t seem to bother most students, I would love to be able to offer them something like a coffee or end table option for their Chrombook, notebook, and other materials.

As for me, I would REALLY like some sort of mobile laptop cart/podium contraption that would allow me to roll around the room, helping students when they need it while providing feedback on instructional videos, assignment submissions, etc., with my laptop. Something like this maybe? Do you have something similar?

Of course, and this probably goes without saying (or typing), I want my students to be healthy, happy, safe, and know that they’re accepted and loved in my classroom. This is at the top of my Christmas and daily list 🙂

What’s on your classroom Christmas list?

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

 

Using Quill in the Classroom – Guest Post

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Hello, and happy Monday! The great people at Quill contacted me last month about their product and I was intrigued to learn more about how it can help teachers make better use of face-to-face instructional time. Check out this guest post to learn more!

We all know that teaching writing can be very challenging.  We all know how important it is to write well. And, we all know that, with fast-moving curriculums, piles of grading work, and, often, limited access to resources, it can be difficult to give students the instruction they deserve.

Quill.org is a small, scrappy non-profit that produces free writing instruction software. We don’t want to replace teachers—we love and respect them. Many of our team members are former teachers themselves, and we know from personal experience that the most important moments in teaching come from face-to-face interaction with students. So, we decided to create a free tool that saves teachers countless hours that they would have spent creating and grading grammar worksheets! Now, teachers can spend that time doing the valuable, in-person work.

So what exactly is Quill? Quill is a set of Diagnostic assessments, intelligently structured independent practice activities, and collaborative full-class lessons that focus on grammar and sentence construction skills. Through this tool, teachers can assign activities from any of our five tools – Quill Connect, Grammar, Proofreader, Lessons, and the Diagnostic. Most teachers start by assigning a Diagnostic, a short (22-25 questions) assessment that analyzes students’ baseline writing skills. Then, our software creates differentiated learning plans for each student based on their Diagnostic performance, so everybody gets the practice they need.

These learning plans have two different components: independent practice activities and collaborative class lessons. The independent practice activities, called Quill Connect activities, teach grammar mechanics and sentence construction skills through the research-backed method of sentence combining. The activities ask students to combine two or more short sentences into one complex sentence using a specific grammar target. With every attempt, students receive instant feedback that guides them toward the correct answer.

You might be saying to yourself, “differentiated practice is great, but how do I keep my class on the same page?” The Diagnostic also suggests collaborative, full-class activities from our Quill Lessons tool. Lessons are pre-constructed presentations (think a Powerpoint but with more features) on a particular writing-related topic. Lessons have both instructional slides and interactive learning prompts. When students submit their answers to these prompts, teachers can anonymously display student submissions to the whole class so that they can correct or confirm them. This way, everybody learns something new, and nobody feels called out!

Want additional practice? You also can create customized activity packs! When you customize your own packs, you can assign practice activities from any of our five tools, including Grammar and Proofreader. Quill Grammar activities teach basic grammar mechanics through fill-in-the-blank prompts, and Quill Proofreader asks students to identify and correct grammar errors in reading passages.

After students complete activities, Quill generates comprehensive grade reports. The reports provide an overall score for each activity, as well as an in-depth break down of the grammar concepts that students mastered or missed for every question in an activity.

While Quill aligns with the Common Core curriculum, teachers use our software in many different ways. One professor at Seneca College wrote us to tell us how she had used Quill to up student engagement and cut down on absenteeism. She explained how our Diagnostic tool had allowed her to get a sense of where students were with their writing ability upon entering her class, and then to track their progress. You can find her story, and others like it, here: https://www.quill.org/teacher-center/topic/teacher-stories.

Other teachers use activities as a do-nows to get their class in the writing mindset or as homework to reinforce what they covered in class. Many also use Quill Lessons to introduce grammar topics at the beginning of a new unit. Finally, teachers look to the Student Reports to inform their writing instruction going forward – they use our data to quickly figure out which topics to revisit or to cover next with their classes.

This year has been huge for Quill. As of November 2018, Quill has helped 1.3 million students in 5,000 schools internationally become strong writers! If you are interested in using Quill in your classroom, check out their Getting Started page!

Thanks for reading!

 

#12DaysofTwitter – Expand your PLN with Twitter

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Hello, friends! I hope your week is off to a fantastic start and that you’re not only surviving but thriving in your classroom as winter break draws closer. My students are finishing up content (in my semester classes), preparing for finals, finishing up projects, and I’m frantically evaluating assignments, providing feedback, drinking ALL the coffee and trying to maintain some sort of sanity! My oldest daughter’s teacher said it best this evening … “being a teacher and a mom in December is really something else!” The days leading up to Christmas break are always interesting for me, and I know you and most every other teacher know exactly how I feel. So much to do, so little time to do it, and by golly, I’m exhausted! This is a great time to reach out to your PLN and feel the support of your teacher-friends in the trenches!

You’ve probably realized by now that I’m a huge fan of Twitter for professional learning. Twitter and blogging have really helped me find my voice as a teacher – I’ve formed awesome virtual friendships (and have gotten to meet some of those teachers face-to-face!) while taking part in great discussions about education.

In short –> I LOVE MY PLN! So, over the course of the last few school days of December, I’m inviting all of you to join in the #12DaysofTwitter from #IlluminateED fun! Every school day through December 18, I’ll be tweeting out a question and I would LOVE to hear your responses. You can see the full calendar of the 12 Days of Twitter here.

When you tweet a response to a #12DaysofTwitter post, please remember to use BOTH hashtags –> #12DaysofTwitter AND #IlluminateED. This will connect you not only to the educators tweeting with #IlluminateED but also with other educators who are specifically using #12DaysofTwitter <<– lots of hashtag talking there!

I hope you join the fun and grow your PLN before Christmas break!

As always, thanks for reading 🙂

December Mystery Post – Teaching with Technology

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Happy December! Holy moly, this semester has FLOWN by! I feel like I just shared my November Mystery Post and BAM! December is knocking on the door! So … what, oh what, will the topic of this month’s mystery post be? What technology tool or integration strategy will I share?? Hmmmmmm…

DRUMROLL, PLEASE…

The topic of the December Mystery Post is …FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT!

That’s right! I absolutely love formative assessment tools! Whether it’s Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, Flipgrid, Head’s Up, QR Code review activities, or a quick “fist to five” to determine “where students are” in regard to their understanding of course content. Formative assessment is VITALLY important in my classroom, as I’m sure it is in your classroom as well. Teachers need to know how their students are progressing, what needs to be reviewed/reinforced, all of which can be addressed by good formative assessment.

If you’ve read Illuminate (thank you!) you know I ask this question, “did you get excited about formative assessment when you were a student?” I never thought as a teacher that my students would BEG for formative assessment – but they don’t think of games that encourage them to review content through competition, teamwork, use of cell phones, or memes as an “assessment.” It’s AWESOME!

What are your favorite formative assessment tools or strategies?

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

 

Charting Pre and Post-Assessment Data – Update

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Hello, and happy Saturday! I hope you’ve had a great week and are ready to recharge this weekend!! After our extended break last week, I feel refreshed and slightly less tired … yes, I did take my own advice 🙂 We came back from our Thanksgiving break Monday and, instead of jumping right into new content my students completed their post-assessment over the unit we finished before the break. They also completed their learning chart by entering their post-assessment data and viewing their growth.

While my students were completing their post-assessment, I was walking around the room, monitoring their progress and growth. The conversations I had with my students were so incredibly positive and included, “Mrs. Petty, I got a 1/9 on my pre-test, but this time, I got a 7/9!” Many students were upset that they didn’t get a perfect score on their post-assessment, but when they looked at their pre-assessment data and saw how much they learned and improved over the course of the unit, they were so proud!

When students had completed their post-assessment, I directed them back to the Learning Chart post I originally assigned on Google Classroom, and walked them through entering their data. The first page of this spreadsheet, titled Pre-Test/Post-Test Data, required students to not only enter their data but also set a goal for each learning target. The second page, titled Federalism and Missouri Constitution Learning Chart, provides students with a bar graph that displays their pre-test and post-test data, allowing them to actually see their growth and improvement.

While it is important for students to view their pre and post-assessment data, and set goals for each learning target, my favorite feature of this sheet is the Learning Chart tab. It’s one thing to look at numbers that increased over time, but I think it’s really powerful to see how much higher your post-test bar is in comparison to your pre-test bar.

I’m really happy with the results of this activity and will definitely do this again!

Thanks for reading 🙂

There’s No Tired Like Teacher Tired

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Hello, and happy Wednesday! Depending on your area of the world, you may or may not be preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. For me and my family, that means an AH-MAZING homemade meal with lots of family at my parents’ house on Thursday and then snuggling in for a nice, long, food-induced nap that afternoon. I’m not a traditional Black Friday shopper and instead choose to catch the online deals and avoid the craziness of the crowded stores while sipping my coffee in my pajamas. I’m sure I’m not alone in this statement, especially when the holidays are right around the corner — there’s no tired like teacher tired!

The phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” resonates with me on a daily basis, as I, like all of you, attempt to juggle and balance my family, career, and finding “me time.” In addition to being a full-time high school Social Studies teacher, I’m also an adjunct instructor of educational technology and history/political science (9 hours a semester), blogger, author, presenter, and most importantly, a mommy and a wife. My daughters are involved in 7 dance classes between them, and my oldest plays on two basketball teams right now (most of the time, we also throw in a traveling soccer team) and takes piano lessons. I’m so thankful that we’re able to provide these opportunities for our daughters, but at the same time, I typically feel like pulling out my hair by Tuesday afternoon.

As you can see, we have a few things going on in the Petty household. Sprinkle on top of those responsibilities the extremely important calling of teaching my students, and you have a recipe for a very tired teacher. While I’m tempted to spend my Thanksgiving break and other upcoming vacations from my classroom to get up early, catch up on grading, tackle the growing pile of laundry, go through my daughters’ drawers and take out what they’re rapidly outgrowing, clean my house, and other productive things, it’s also important for me to remember to relax during my break. Here are a few things I do to “just chill” while we’re off!

EXERCISE 
Yes, I love exercising! I’m almost done with a new workout program called LIIFT4, which, as its name implies, requires weight-lifting, with some high-intensity interval training, and core work, 4 days a week. I find that when I’m “in” a workout program and/or running on a regular basis, I’m more focused, have more energy (I need as much of that as I can get!), and generally feel better. What do you do to get your body moving?

FAVORITE SHOWS, BOOKS, AND MOVIES
While I’m a huge fan of exercising, I’m also a huge fan of binge-watching my favorite shows. I’m currently hooked on Outlander (holy moly) and also love Once Upon a Time. Fortunately, we also have almost all of the Harry Potter movies recorded on our DVR – #RavenclawForLife – as well as the Ultimate Guide to the Presidents from the History Channel (I can’t help it, I’m a nerd). I’m also excited to read a bit more of The Fiery Cross during our few days off (the fifth book in the Outlander series <– I may be obsessed). What other shows should I add to my “must-watch” list?

NAPS 
While one of the reasons I love working out is because of the energy boost it gives me, I also love a good nap. When I say nap, I don’t mean a 20-minute power nap. I mean a NAP. Like 2 hours snuggled under my favorite blanket, on my couch. You know, one of those naps you take and you wake up not sure if it’s morning or night, or even what day it is? Ya, those are my kind of naps, and I’ll DEFINITELY be taking one after Thanksgiving dinner 🙂

And yes, I’ll probably throw in grading a few assignments and getting ready for the week ahead, but I’m making a concerted effort to R-E-L-A-X a bit during our break. How do you find some “me time” and re-filling your cup during breaks?

Thanks for reading 🙂

Using Flippity to Enhance Learning

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Hello, and happy Friday! I’m back at work today after a lovely snow day yesterday … honestly, I was expecting to be out today as well, but we’re here and making the most of it! On election day last week, my students completed an activity that required them to research proposed amendments and initiatives to our state constitution. These ballot measures ranged from allowing the use of medical marijuana, revamping our state redistricting plan, to permitting an increase in advertising for Bingo games. Yes, you read that correctly – advertising Bingo games. My students thought this was HILARIOUS! The fact that our state constitution will be amended to include a (hopefully) politically unbiased redistricting plan, the use of medical marijuana, and Bingo advertising. To celebrate the passage of this amendment, my students wanted to play Bingo in class and advertise it to their peers. Fortunately, Flippity came to the rescue with an easy-to-create and use Bingo template that allowed them to review concepts, apply their learning using examples of concepts in action, and of course, play Bingo!

I first blogged about Flippity in 2014 when it was no more than a flashcard creator. Today, teachers and students can use Flippity templates not only to create flaschards, but also to track student progress, create crossword puzzles, word searches, scavenger hunts, Jeopardy-like review games, and of course, Bingo games.

To get started with Flippity, simply access the site and choose an activity template. When you select the template, you will be prompted to make a copy of the file because the templates are all Google Sheets. This means  -you guessed it!- you’ll always be able to find the activities that you create, even if you lose the website link! WOOHOO!! When you’ve entered your terms and alternate terms, you’ll publish the sheet to the web, then copy/paste the link in the appropriate tab. VOILA! You’re ready to play Bingo! Flippity also

As I share in my book, Illuminate, Flippity really doesn’t get the attention it deserves – teachers can use Flippity in so many different ways to enhance student learning. If you haven’t tried Flippity, yet … put it on your “to-do-asap” list!

Thanks for reading 🙂

November Mystery Post-Teaching with Technology

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Hello, and happy Tuesday! Last month, I tried something new by starting a monthly “mystery post” where I choose one of my favorite topics from my blog to share with you! Last month, I geeked out about my flipped classroom – if you’re a regular reader of Teaching with Technology (thanks!) you know I’m a bit of a fan … and that may be a bit of an understatement 🙂 This month, I’m sharing another of my favorite education/edtech topics with you! What, oh what will it be?????? I’ve held you in suspense long enough. The topic of the November Mystery Post is … drumroll, please … HYPERDOCS!

YESSSS! I love HyperDocs and I’m so glad I get to use them in my classroom. Here’s a quick rundown of the why and how of HyperDocs in my classroom.

Why HyperDocs? 
Before I start gushing about the awesomeness of HyperDocs, it’s important to think about and emphasize the “why” behind my use of HyperDocs in my classroom. When I create a HyperDoc for my students, I’m using the available technology to design a more individualized learning experience for my students. A shift has occurred in my classroom from “what is Mrs. Petty going to teach us” to “what am I going to learn today?” HyperDocs, like my flipped classroom, allow my students to work through content at their own pace. We review content every few days or as needed … we determine this by results from learning checkpoints and in-class formative assessments. The multi-faceted nature of HyperDocs work well with my flipped classroom, as well. The engage/explore piece provides my students with the opportunity to build background and peripheral knowledge of the content we’re learning. When they’re ready to move on, the explain piece, as its name implies, includes explanatory instructional video lessons that my students create through Edpuzzle. The apply portion requires my students to create a representation of what they’ve learned through a medium of their choice. Some HyperDocs also include a collaboration element in which students work through an activity together – primary source or landmark case analysis, etc. The share component allows students to gain feedback on their work from their peers while the reflection piece encourages my students to pause and think about what they’ve learned. Extension activities provide students with the opportunity to, again as its name implies, take what they’ve learned a step further while earning Bonus XP. Our review page includes Kahoot, Quizizz, and other review activities that students can use as content review for unit assessments.

The “How” of HyperDocs in my Classroom
Now you that I’ve explained the “why” behind HyperDocs in my classroom, it’s time for the “how!” How in the world do my students use these HyperDocs for our units? I’m so glad you asked!

During the 2017-2018 school year, I utilized unit HyperDocs as opposed to HyperDocs for individual lessons. My students loved this model! They reported that they felt like they could move through the content more at their own pace, rewatch content and ask for help from me and their peers when they needed it. The main request that I received was that I provide them with specific due dates for completing components of the HyperDoc to help them stay on track. Ask and you shall receive!

Now, my students are given flexible due dates for each component of the HyperDoc – I actually hesitate to call them “due dates” … more like goals for each section. For example, all units start with a vocabulary activity – most of the time using Quizlet, Flippity, Kahoot, etc., where students are required to create something to help them learn their vocab. As a content area, Government is super-vocab rich, especially since the students haven’t been exposed to the lingo yet in their education. Next on the to-do list comes the instructional videos. Students are given class time to complete these videos, and we aim to have a class formative assessment on video content every two days. This, of course, is a flexible plan and changes based on what my students need. Students also complete “learning checkpoints” at various points throughout the unit to ensure deep understanding of content. Next, students begin to create their “apply” project, reviewing important content as they do so. Reflection is up next, usually through Padlet or Flipgrid which provides me with MORE great data to drive instruction and review. Students are also encouraged to participate in extension activities connected to the content we’re studying … our first unit of 2nd semester, for example, includes Congress. For their extension activities, students are encouraged to email an elected legislator (state or federal level) and ask a question … any question … that they’d like to have answered. It’s so great to see their excitement when they receive a response!

Be sure to check out my HyperDoc posts here … and Chapter 9 of Illuminate!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Visible Learning: Charting Pre & Post-Assessments with Google

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Hello, and happy Wednesday! I hope you’re enjoying an amazing week and that the weather outside your window is prettier than the dreary, rainy scene I’m experiencing today. It’s at this point in the year that I begin to think on rainy days … “what if it were about 30 degrees cooler … I wonder how much snow this would amount to …” #teacherlife 🙂 I took a rare mid-week personal day today to attend the weekly chapel service with my daughters at their school, catch up on grading for all of my classes, ponder the possibility of (and most likely apply for) a specialist degree program in administration, wear sweatpants, drink coffee, watch Harry Potter, blog, and drink (as usual) TONS of coffee. Today, I’m excited to share how my students are using Google Forms, Google Sheets, and Classroom to assess their learning and chart their learning goals, providing them with a clear idea of where they are, where they’re going, and how they’ll get there … visible learning.

One of my teacher goals for the school year is to use pre and post-assessments for every unit so my students can actually visualize “where they are” in their learning of content. In our earlier units, I used Google Classroom to assign a Google Form that served as both a pre and post-assessment of learning. Students completed the form and viewed their score. After we completed our unit, the students took the post-assessment, viewed their score, and I walked around to them and individually reminded of their pre-assessment score. The looks on their faces were WONDERFUL! All students made great improvement over the course of the unit. Some went from 0/8 to 8/8, others went from a 6/8 to 8/8, while some went from a 0/8 to a 5/8. I was proud of all of my students and their expressions showed they were proud of themselves as well.

While this pre/post-assessment routine provided both me and my students with great data (and a boost of self-esteem) I wanted to provide them with a more concrete visible learning strategy. I also wanted them to actually see “where they are” when it comes to meeting our learning standards. SO … I created a Google Sheet where students can collect data from their pre-assessment, set their goal for each specific learning target, and view their data in the form of a chart. My reasoning behind this activity was not only to provide students with a visible representation of what they’re learning but also to give them an opportunity to practice using a spreadsheet to collect and view data <– one of those “real-world skills” that will help them outside of my classroom as well. They enter the data on the “Pre-Test/Post-Test Data” sheet and then can view a learning chart on the “Federalism & Missouri Constitution Learning Chart” sheet! If you’d like to use this activity with your students please click here to make a copy of the Google Sheet. Then, edit your standards and assign the spreadsheet to your students via Google Classroom. Done! 

How do you encourage your students to visualize what they’re learning?

Thanks for reading 🙂