As a first year teacher in the fall of 2008, I was EXTREMELY excited to teach American Government classes during an election season. We were even able to turn on a classroom television to watch President Obama's first inaugural address. Wow! Fast forward 8 years to the election of 2016. The availability of educational technology in my classroom and completely changed how I teach all subjects, but ... Read More about Educational Technology & Politics: How things have changed!
Google Slides – Not Just for Presentations!
It's no secret that Google has some pretty great tools available, especially for classroom use. GAFE has opened so many doors in my classroom, and I'm excited to share how I use Google Slides to create so much MORE than presentations! When I started blogging in January of 2014, I used Microsoft Word and Paint to create images for my blog. It's fun to look back at those old posts and see ... Read More about Google Slides – Not Just for Presentations!
Use Humor During Standardized Test Review
Standardized Test review can be the absolute worst "unit" of the school year. The end of the year can also be a fun time to reflect (and review) with students. Here's how I'm using humor again this year during standardized test review! Crazy YouTube videos! Toward the end of last school year, I shared some of my "raps," and I use that term VERY loosely, that I made for my students to help ... Read More about Use Humor During Standardized Test Review
Gamification: How I Make My Badges
When I began my gamification experiment this year, I asked the students in my classes a simple question: would you rather have digital or physical badges? I was ABSOLUTELY surprised when my students overwhelmingly demanded physical badges. Even after I said that these badges would be simply be printed on card stock, they were adamant! I originally thought that these students, who are digital ... Read More about Gamification: How I Make My Badges
Ultimate Teacher Binder
Hello. My name is Bethany, and I love technology. (Hi, Bethany!) By now, you've no doubt have figured me out. I love technology. I love its potential in my classroom. I love how I can use it to increase student engagement. It's fantastic. However, sometimes, I need to write things down. I know. This is extraordinarily uncharacteristic of a 21st-century educator. Everything is online or in my ... Read More about Ultimate Teacher Binder