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 TCEA and myON are partnering to bring an exciting opportunity that will allow your students and even your own children to access over 4,000 engaging digital books on computers, tablets, and other devices, wherever they are over the holiday break - free of charge.
Through this special holiday offer, students will be able to choose from a collection of thousands of high-interest digital books from myON, a business unit of Capstone - the leading publisher of school library texts -- in a variety of genres and formats. Readers of all levels will be able to enjoy these digital books independently or they may activate naturally-recorded audio and text highlighting to support their reading. An embedded dictionary provides help with pronunciation and definitions for words they may not know. Free mobile apps enable your students to download books on their mobile devices for offline reading, as well. Encourage your students to read independently or enjoy the gift of reading together as a family during the winter break by reading on myON! Here's how to access myON books:
Are you in the need for something new to learn this summer? If so, check out some of these free online professional development sessions that were shared by Free Technology for Teachers.
|