Teaching with Technology

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Teaching Students, Not Just Content – Take What You Need

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One of the goals I set for myself as a teacher this year is to make more conscious and focused efforts to teach my students, not just teach my content. Sometimes, it can be easy for teachers to forget that our students are not just students – they’re people; people who enter our classrooms with stress and anxiety that come from school, work, sports, relationships, etc. I know I’m guilty of sometimes focusing so much on teaching my content that I can forget about the people I’m teaching. What do they need? How can I help them as people, not just as my students?

This idea has prompted quite a few changes in my classroom procedures throughout the course of my teaching career – it’s still hard to believe that this is year 10! When I started teaching, students were not allowed to eat in my classroom. I viewed that as a distraction from the learning we were trying to accomplish – teacher facepalm moment! Now, I follow a “Maslow before Bloom’s” mentality … if our students are focusing on how hungry they are, are they going to be super productive in class? Are we as teachers extremely productive when we’re hungry or thirsty? If I don’t have a cup of coffee in my hand, I’m not the best version of myself!

At the beginning of the school year, I informally polled my students, most of whom are juniors, about a “Take What You Need” bulletin board. This board would include small pieces of paper with inspirational and motivational quotes that they could take from the board and keep with them on their Chromebook, in their backpack, etc., to help them throughout the day. The response from my students was an overwhelming, “yes!”

Yesterday, I FINALLY completed the Take What You Need bulletin board. Yes, I know it’s almost November – but, better late than never, right? As I typically do when I create most anything, I created a Google Slides presentation for the inspirational quotes. Google Slides is awesome and is DEFINITELY not just for presentations!

Only one of my classes was able to see the board yesterday, but the students were grateful for the “quote board,” and immediately began taking the quotes from the board. My goal with this bulletin board is to create a culture of motivation, failing forward, and promote a general feeling in my classroom that things can be difficult, but I believe my students can and will be successful!

I plan to continue adding quotes to the presentation throughout the year. If you’re interested in creating a “Take What You Need” bulletin board in your classroom, please access the presentation here.

Thanks for reading 🙂

If You Give a Teacher a Day Off

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Hello, friends! Happy Sunday! I hope your week is off to a great start and you’re getting ready to tackle the week ahead. Last Friday, I did something I rarely do as a teacher – I took a day off. Yes, I took a mental health day, as we sometimes call the days that we take off when no one is sick, no one has a doctor appointment, we’re not going to a conference/workshop/meeting. I just took a day off. When I was a first and second-year teacher, I NEVER took a day off, partly because I was scared to look weak or undedicated to my career, but also because I didn’t want to leave my classroom in the hands of a stranger – check out this month’s Mystery Post for more information about my control freak nature 😀 After my husband and I had kids, my days off were only to be used for maternity leave, sick kids, or doctor appointments for our girls. So … I rarely take a day off, but sometimes it’s needed. Here’s a fun glimpse into why I took a day off, didn’t feel guilty about it, and why teachers must practice self-care to be the best we can be for our students.

If you give a teacher a day off … she’ll probably sleep in
Yes, I slept in later on Friday morning. That’s right. I slept in LATER – not late by any means because I still had to get my daughters (and husband!) up and ready for school. Friday was Grandparents Day at my daughters’ school and my mom always delivers the chapel message for the day, so I always at least go to that service 🙂 A downside of teaching in a different town than where we live is that I rarely get to take my daughters to school. I have to leave the house at the same time my daughters and husband do in order to get to work at the required time. So, in addition to sleeping in a bit on Friday, I got to take my daughters to school. It may seem like such a small thing, but it’s one of those “mom” things that I love and do as much as I can because they won’t always want me to do that!

If you let a teacher sleep in … she’ll probably be a tad more rested
I saw a meme the other day on Pinterest that said something along the lines of … teachers make more minute-by-minute decisions throughout the day than a brain surgeon, which is why we’re so tired at the end of the day. I don’t know about the accuracy of this claim, but I agree with it. As a teacher, I make TONS of decisions throughout the day that I really don’t even think about. Let me explain, as teachers, we have to make tons of decisions in our lesson plans, on the fly, etc., and we do this every day … so we may not recognize the sheer amount of thoughts, plans, and things we do on a daily basis. Even though some people outside the realm of education haven’t (and probably never will) realize, we have a pretty darn important job. Inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and shaping the future – no big deal, right? 😉

If you let a teacher get some rest … she’ll probably be more present with her family 
I don’t know about you, but I suffer from some pretty major “mom guilt” from time to time. My daughters are both in school and participate in almost a dozen afterschool activities between them, and I volunteer/participate as much as I possibly can while balancing my teaching career, the online college classes that I teach, my blog, my book, speaking engagements, conferences, keeping up with homework, and keeping our house in some semblance of order (it’s a wreck most of the time!). So, when I have a day, or a few hours to chill and be Mommy instead of Mrs. Petty, it helps everyone. Friday was Homecoming for my high school and I was able to walk with my daughters’ school float in the Homecoming Parade – super fun and I got some exercise! Happy Bethany!

I mentioned earlier that Friday was Grandparents Day at my daughters’ school. My mom still teaches at their school and isn’t able to have a sub in her class on this super fun day. My dad always comes to Grandparents Day and has an absolute ball hanging out with his two favorite girls (my sister and I have been demoted) during the day. My father-in-law wasn’t able to attend the Grandparents Day festivities this year, and we lost my mother-in-law to flu complications last year. Therefore, I spent the day with my daughters as their surrogate grandparent, alternating classes with my dad so both kids could have fun with Papa, but not be left alone when Papa was with the other kid.

I LOVED spending time with my daughters in their classrooms, watching them beam with pride as they showed me their classroom, what they’re learning, projects they’ve made, etc.

If a teacher is more present with her family … she’ll probably be recharged in her classroom
This is extremely true. When I push pause on my busy life from time to time and focus on being more present with my family, I feel like I’m floating on my back in the ocean. instead of trying to tread water. When I feel like I have a good grasp on my family and personal life, I’m a better teacher. Taking a day off helps me (temporarily at least) feel like my ducks are all in a row. When my ducks are in a row, I feel mentally more prepared to take on the noble challenges that come with being a teacher – the best job in the world.

So … if you give a teacher a day off … she’ll be more recharged, focused, and excited to be the best teacher she can be for her students. Take a day off, teacher friends. You deserve it, and so do your students.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Back to School Planning: 3 Reasons to Use Nearpod in Your Classroom

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Hello, all! Is it just me, or does it seem that summer vacation really speeds up after July 4? I feel like the second half of summer goes WAY faster than the first part and I’m quickly realizing that I’m not checking off nearly as many things from my summer to-do list as I wanted! As I’m prepping for the new semester, I’m planning to share how I’m using some of my favorite digital tools in my lessons to increase engagement, illuminate learning, and make learning memorable! As you’ve probably noticed, I’m quite a fan of Nearpod and use it daily in my dual credit classes. While there are definitely more, here are 3 reasons to use Nearpod in your classroom!

Virutal Reality 
Seriously, how awesome is virtual reality? The fact that teachers now have the ability (through multiple tools) to virtually take students to places, past and present, to enrich their learning experience is just amazing! Nearpod allows teachers to embed virtual field trips into their lessons to transport students to amazing places around the world. In our World War II unit, I love taking my students to the Palace of Versailles, Japan after the use of nuclear weapons, the barracks at Auschwitz, and the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. When students use their smart phones or tablets, they’re even able to walk through these places. Students using a Chromebook or laptop are able to drag and zoom on the image as they travel to distant places.

Formative Assessment 
Formative assessment is key in any classroom – we need to know what our students know and what they don’t know so we can help them understand what they don’t know and encourage them to apply what they know – you know?! 🙂 When creating Nearpod lessons, teachers can embed a variety of formative assessment questions – include multiple choice, true/false, and one of my favorites: draw it – into their presentation. When the lesson is launched and the class proceeds, students will view the questions on their screen and the teacher can view the results of the class in realtime. Teachers can also add formative assessment questions “on the fly” during their lesson as needed.

Student View 
My students REALLY appreciate the fact that they can log into a Nearpod lesson and view the information on their device without having the crane their necks around the heads of their classmates. They also LOVE that they can interact with virtual and 3D images, simulations, etc., on their own devices. The ability to view the presentation on a variety of devices also offers a great deal of flexibility for my students!

I could really go on and on and ON about the wonderful features of Nearpod! Definitely check out this great digital tool and reach out if you have any questions. I’d love to help you use Nearpod to illuminate learning!

Speaking of illuminating learning — be sure to check out my new book, Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning, for great tips and strategies for using great technology, like Nearpod, to enhance the learning environment for your students!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Level Up Your PD through Twitter!

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Welcome to Fourth Quarter! We’re on the downhill slide; the homestretch of the school year, and I don’t know about you but this is the time of year that I feel always goes too fast. I still have so much to accomplish and so little time in which to do so! Toward the end of the week during February and March, I also find myself even more drained than usual. It’s almost like someone has pulled my plug – I know you feel my pain. To keep myself charged up for the remainder of the year, I turn to awesome and inspiring edubooks, great conferences and workshops (I’m looking at you, EdCampSEMO – that I’ll have to miss this year!), and social media. Perusing Pinterest and Facebook can provide great resources and ideas to keep teachers on our game throughout the year, but my favorite social media tool for PD is Twitter!

Hashtags that are #awesome
Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend METC AND MCSS in the same month, literally a week apart. I am so thankful that I work in a building and district where the administration recognizes the importance of conferences and workshops for teachers. My focus word for 2018 is “better” and to become better at my I need to learn and collaborate with other awesome teachers! I started planning this post mentally during one of my sessions at MCSS (Missouri Council for the Social Studies) when I said, “follow me on Twitter @Bethany_Petty and use #illuminateED to tweet your thoughts and questions during our time today.” I scanned the room and saw many puzzled looks. After the session, I checked my phone, which typically includes a few notifications with thoughts or questions about the session, and there were none. Most of the participants were not on Twitter. Holy moly, friends! Jump on Twitter. Twitter itself isn’t going to revolutionize your life or be the silver bullet that will solve all of your problems or answer all of your questions. BUT, Twitter is a great place where educators can share resources, ideas, experiences, and collaborate with colleagues from around the world. Search one of the hashtags below to find resources, conversations, and ideas relating to a variety of topics. It’s fabulous! Check out these hashtags:

Twitter Chats
Think of Twitter chats as a focused conversation among teachers/instructors/professors/authors/bloggers/pre-service teachers/coaches/edtech strategists about a specific topic relevant to their role in education. Most chats are held weekly and are led by moderators who create and share specific questions. Twitter chats use a specific hashtag, like those listed above. For example, #moedchat, and chat and hashtag for Missouri educators (like me!), takes place on Thursday nights at 9:00. Any tweet that includes #moedchat will wind up in the conversation … important Twitter chat decorum: don’t use the hashtag unless you’re part of the chat! Also, there’s no need to ask permission to join a chat – hop right on in! If you’re like me, you can’t block out a time to only participate in a specific chat. I frequently pop in and out of chats and then search through the chat for resources and information later. You can also use a tool like Participate to “participate” in Twitter chats and access archives of past chats. Check out this resource for more information!

Awesome “Tweachers” 
Twitter is full of amazing educators who are just waiting to meet you and learn from you! Definitely check out these inspiring “Tweachers!”

  • Vicki Davis (@CoolCatTeacher)
  • Holly Clark (@HollyClarkEDU)
  • Trevor McKenzie (@trev_mackenzie)
  • Kasey Bell (@shakeuplearning)
  • George Couros (@gcouros)
  • Dave Burgess (@burgessdave)
  • Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedogogy)

How do you use Twitter to level up your learning?

Thanks for reading 🙂

3 Reasons Why You Need A Learning Management System

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*This is a sponsored post which means I was compensated to share these ideas with you. Thanks to itslearning for this opportunity!*

The implementation of educational technology tools has made my life as a teacher SO MUCH easier. When I think back to the beginning of my teaching career … which was only 9 years ago … I remember with disgust the many nights of lugging piles of tests and worksheets home to grade, randomly spilling coffee on papers, making math mistakes on scores, and misplacing work before it was entered in my gradebook. These problems are remedied by using a Learning Management System, like itslearning, along with Google Classroom, to assign, collect, and grade student work!

Below are my top three reasons that teachers need to utilize a Learning Management System:

Access assignments anywhere

Students AND teachers alike can benefit from being able to access assignments and activities anywhere. How often did you forget your homework in your desk or locker and begin to panic when you couldn’t complete your homework? As a student, I did this more times than I care to remember or admit … this becomes a non-issue with the use of technology and learning management systems! When we introduced Chromebooks in my building, one of the biggest praises students had for our 1:1 program was that they loved having access to everything they needed for their assignments on their Chromebooks. Learning Management Systems allow teachers and students to quickly access everything they need from virtually anywhere!

Provide quick and effective feedback

Kiss grading by hand GOODBYE! Learning Management Systems allow teachers to provide quick and effective feedback on assignments and assessments. Learning Management Systems not only allow teachers to quickly grade objective questions, but also provide teachers with the opportunity to quickly view and comment on each written or constructed response question. Learning Management Systems allow students to view their scores much quicker than waiting for their teacher to grade by hand which, if you’re like me, might take a while!!!!

Encourage all students to contribute to discussions

One of my favorite features of Learning Management Systems is the discussion board/forum option. I love being able to assign a thought-provoking questions and hear the thoughts of ALL of my students in this online environment. We’ve all had those classes where one or a few strong voices seems to dominate the discussion on every single topic. Whether the contribution is relevant or off topic, the fact that it dominates other students in the class is typically not what teachers are looking for. We want to hear the perspective of all of our students. We want to encourage them and make sure they know their opinion is valued. Online discussion boards can help! Require students to submit a specific number of comments and/or replies to ensure that all students are participating!

Learning Management Systems are great additions to your classroom. Give them a try!

Thanks for reading!

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