Hey all! Just getting back from the TCEA conference and trying to catch up with the work waiting for me upon my return. We all know how it goes when the teacher is out. Although it is tough to be out of the class for three straight days, the conference was absolutely worth it. I remember when I interviewed at Dobie, and Matt Park asked me if I was technologically savvy. I think I was a little shaky on the answer at first but quickly said that I am a fast learner. Unfortunately, it can become difficult to learn new technology when getting used to the ins and outs of the class, lesson planning, and grading. Before this conference, I have heard of the flipped classroom, but I was always too scared to put the work in. Let’s get down to it now. At TCEA, I learned some fast, easy, effective ways for anybody to integrate technology to enhance our lessons. First of all, two great resources that we have but do not use enough are DiscoveryEducation and Overdrive. · Overdrive can be used for independent reading and also can replace the traditional book in the classroom, so we don’t have to worry about the roughly used Romeo and Juliet copies. · DiscoveryEducation can be used by any content area. One of my favorite features is the ability to search by standard. With this ability, I can quickly find a video or lesson that enhances what I am already doing in class. Also, for those teachers who give an article every week for students to read, this can be done through DiscEd, so no more copies need to be made. This summer I plan to create a website with weebly.com to flip my classroom. Through this website, I plan to embed a link to NoRedInk.com, a website where students can electronically complete grammar warm-ups, and I can see the grades without having to actually red ink all over paper. For my article of the week, I am going to embed a video, include a short article, and embed a google doc where they can type their answers and turn them in electronically. This information is not the end of what I learned, but this is where I plan to start. Many of the speakers I listened to who talked about flipping the classroom told the audience to take it a step at a time. If we all are willing to try one new thing at a time, the 1:1 transition should be smooth and effective. ~ Jessica Casteel English I Dobie East |