E-School Discussion Board Posts

8-30-17
Fourth-Grade Teacher: These are "My Tech Essentials"

Each site was linked making it very easy for me to explore after reading how she incorporated
each in her own classroom.
My favorite by far would definitely be "Seesaw". In the past I have used Kidblog and Edmodo as
a way for my students to communicate their ideas and assignments. Seesaw however takes
student collaboration and sharing to a whole new level. Not only can students collaborate and
share their ideas but they can actually share a videos, documents, photos, links, and even
drawings.
MyOn was also incredibly intriguing to me. In years past I've used Time for Kids as a resource to
keep kids up to date on whats going on in the world around them. The problem there always
being that I never had enough copies for everyone. MyOn eliminates that problem completely.
Since I am fortunate enough to have one to one devices at my school this site will be
revolutionary. Looking forward to trying these out!

9-6-17
2 Starting Steps to Flawless Tech Implementation
Technology has become more and more prominent in society and now has made its way into
education. For me, implementing the technology that my students now have access to in class is
a struggle. In this article John Phillips delves into the realm of making technology in schools
work. After completing this article, I learned much more than I had anticipated. Technology and
how it is implemented successfully in schools must begin as a group effort.

There are two main steps. The first is to create a task force. This task force should include
teachers, students, parents, administrators and all those involved in the school. It is the task
force's job to meet weekly to develop a plan for implementation. It is crucial that the vision and
plan that is designed focuses on learning that uses technology to unlock greater levels of engaged
learning.
The second step is to formalize a plan. The plan should map out a clear path for success. This
plan must be backed up with use cases and the technologies needed to support the identified
cases. As the planning continues and evolves outlining a budget becomes imperative.
Responsibilities for researching, finding vendors and executing contracts should be assigned. To
ensure that all goes as planned and at an appropriate pace there must also be a timeline as well as
a way to measure success. Several existing frameworks can be used to track this data.
Although, there are only two steps listed as a main focus, I'd argue that there is a third step. Once
the plan has been put into action teachers and administrators will need training and coaching in
order to support the shared vision. Summer workshops will last 1-2 days and should offer
practical classroom resources. Modeling and team teaching the implementation of technology
should be provided so that teachers and administrators can dialogue about their experiences. For
a plan of any kind to prove successful at any school the task force must be able to embrace
failure, encourage innovation, be willing to share mistakes and lessons learned.

9-13-17
Fourth Grade Teacher: These are my Tech Essentials
This article explores that different ways that AR's (Augmented Reality) can increase classroom
engagement. This is something that I honestly really hadn't considered as a tool that I could use
in my classroom. Some of the AR products out there in education include Popar Toys, Daqri,
Two Guys and Some I-pads, and Chromville. The Popar Toys create interactive books about
planets, bugs, dinosaurs, and more. I love this idea for younger children who have difficulty
visualizing and comprehending while they read. According to this article some more up and
coming AR applications include Homework mini lessons, Book Reviews, Yearbooks, Word
Walls, Lab Safety and Deaf and Hard of Hearing sign language flash cards. I could totally see
myself taking advantage of the AR word walls. Teaching in a trailer has left me with very little
space for anchor charts so for someone like me with very little wall space, this technology would
be life changing!

9-20-17
Think 21st-century learning is digital-only? Think again
Once I caught sight of this title I had to click! I am someone who personally prefers to read paper
texts rather than online texts. I'm sure everyone here also has their preference. As I have been
navigating through the 4th grade, Baltimore County, curriculum I see more and more digital text
options available to my students. For some, digital text has proved more engaging others still
prefer paper text. In order to ensure that my students are given a fair shot at either option I make
sure to have both options readily available about 90% of the time. There are however certain
times where I do not even provide digital text as an option. I usually do this when students will
be working on or with a text for an extended period of time. This decreases the chance of
students losing the progress that they have made on a text and also ensures that my kids can't be
clicking onto other sites.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/09/20/learning-digital-print/

9-27-17
These are the 10 best and 10 worst states for teachers
I always find myself curious about this topic and like to read up on the data. It's honestly not
surprising to me that so many teachers transfer schools or abandon the job altogether in their first
year. I can say that having been someone who is just starting out in this career, not all too long
ago, that having 4 observations over ten months for the first three years of your career is just one
of the many factors that is incredibly overwhelming. The amount of information and new
teaching approaches that fly at your per the county is also overwhelming. Then you're expected
to incorporate these new approaches into your lessons and make progress as a professional, when
really you haven't even learned how exactly to do your job yet. It's hard to feel supported and
effective when so much is thrown at you all at once. It is really only now in my 4th year of
teaching that I now feel like I have the space and opportunity to figure out not only what works
for me, but more importantly my students.
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/09/27/10-best-worst-states-teachers/

10-4-17
Text, tweet, email, callwhat do parents want in school
communications?
This article discusses the perks of using social media to communicate with parents, but also
explains why its important to choose your social media wisely. Some of the data collected
indicates that parents are most on Facebook as a form of social media. An astounding 11% of
parents use Twitter. At my school, Twitter is one of the biggest forms of communication that is
used to communicate what's happening in our classrooms. That means that the social media that
we have been using for years now is not even a leading parent choice in how they like to stay in
communication with their child's school.

Something that parents did prefer most turned out to be text messages and e-mails. Last year, a
colleague introduced me to a text messaging option that would not require or allow parents to
have my personal number. I have used this method a few times and after reading this article I'm
thinking that it will be something that I use even more.
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/05/parents-school-communications/

10-11-17
These easy intervention strategies can help struggling readers thrive
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/11/help-struggling-readers-thrive/
This article explains how to best identify and increase student success in struggling readers.
Since I teach ELA I thought that this article may prove to be helpful. The article suggests that
you start with the foundational skills and pinpoint where the students need lies. Once identified
to select just one skill at a time to work on. The point being that you wouldn't build a house on
an unstable foundation, the same goes for reading. You cant build reading without stable
foundational skills. Then depending on the student's weakness the author includes some
strategies that you can use in your classroom.
Incorporate robust classroom language:
1. Listening to Audio books
2. Turn and Talk opportunities
Use Chunking and Phrasing:
Build Fluency
1. "Read it like a...
2. Card Phrase cards
Increase Vocabulary
1. Teach "roots" "prefixes" and "suffixes
2. Games - Multiple meaning web or Shades of Meaning
These are definitely some strategies that I can see myself taking into my classroom in the very
near future.

10-18-17
How our school is personalizing learning through co-teaching
In this article Greenwood College, a not-for-profit, independent, grade 7 to 12 school with about
450 students and about 60 teachers, is taking on a different approach to teaching. They decided
to add a second teacher to a larger classroom space to promote groupings and engagement
between students and teachers alike. Their concern is to create the space that students need to
control their own learning and work at their own pace. Last year they put together a 10th and
11th grade math class in the same room, each with their own teacher. The results were
encouraging. Advanced students were able to excel faster. This allowed teachers time to support
needier students. In order to get parents on board, they knew that it would be crucial to have data
that supported the various benefits to this teaching model. Student surveys confirmed that two
teachers teaching two classes is just as effective as one teacher teaching one class. Students even
felt that they had a strong social connection with teachers within and outside of the classroom.
Since the initial study Greenwood has also tested the same grade in a dual-track class with the
same positive results. In the future they are even looking to grouping students with different
personality types to see how we can better serve our students wide range of social and emotional
needs. I personally can't wait to see where this further research takes Greenwood College.
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/16/school-personalizing-co-teaching/