Posted in Blog

My Top 5 Essential Education Technology Apps — and What I’d Change

Posted on by The Techie Teacher

These apps make my classroom run smoothly. Here’s my top 5!

5. Khan Academy Kids

This app is designed for grades kindergarten, first, and second. There is a teacher version and limited home version that parents can sign up to use. The animation is colorful and eye catching. The characters are helpful for students as they complete activities.

On the teacher side, the data is well organized and easy to analyze. I use it for enrichment or center work.

What I might change or add:

I may also add the option to see assignments by skill, instead of by grade level. Skills taught often vary based on what curriculum, scope and sequence a teacher follows, or a student’s needs.

I would also love to see an option to provide writing responses or quizzes for the reading options in the “Books” tab of the app!

4. Google Classroom

Google Classroom was our classroom during virtual learning. It was our home base for everything we did! It is easy for kids 2nd grade and up to navigate, allows them to safely build relationships with one another, and because my 2nd/3rd graders used Chromebooks, they were easily logged in to Classroom and other Google products. This was so nice for virtual learning!

What I might change or add:

On the teacher side, I would only change the process to remove or archive assignments. I wish there was an option to archive or delete more then one assignment at the same time, like how you can check off multiple emails in Gmail to archive them.

3. Peardeck

Using Peardeck during school closures changed the way I taught my lessons completely. I was suddenly able to see students answers quickly and make sure I had every student engaged through it’s Google Slides Integration. It filled that virtual gap in feedback that was created by being over Zoom.

What I might change or add:

I wish there was an easier way to access a Peardeck lesson, but I also understand the Google Integration is essential to the program. I am finding it hard for my younger students to use it, because it requires an email to log in.

2. Nearpod

I love Nearpod! It is so accessible for student and teachers. There are so many pre-made resources that are geared toward providing educational equity, through lessons that address relevant social issues. There are of course other lessons for all other subjects as well. I use it to supplement the district curriculum. My students are always ecstatic when I say to open Nearpod!

What I might change or add:

I would love to be able to stop a live lesson and convert it to a student paced lesson, so that unfinished work can be completed, or so a student working at home can complete it.

1. Seesaw

I was nervous teaching first grade this year because I knew my usual use of tech would look different. I was so happy when I discovered how wonderful Seesaw is for primary grades!

I take almost everything I might use as a worksheet, pdf, or link and upload it to Seesaw. My students are pros at using the tools in the assignments. They also can easily track what is finished and graded.

Oh! And I cannot forget the Community Library! That is such a wonderful resource when you need an engaging assignment or exit ticket on the fly.

Things I might change or add:

It would be helpful to be able to download all the student work at once for an individual assignment, instead of downloading it one student at a time. I often download assignments to show parents at conference time or for student portfolios.

I would also add in some graphic organizers (like Venn diagrams and thinking maps) to set as the background for assignments!

Posted in Blog

The Surprising Challenge of being the Editor and Chief of a School Newsletter…

Posted on by The Techie Teacher

“Will you take over the School Newsletter?”

Initially, I was over the moon at this proposition and accepted without thinking too much about how challenging it might be. It ended being quite an endeavor, but one of my favorite adjunct duties as a teacher to date!

I was an English major in college. I love to write. I really missed that aspect of my education and was elated to take over this duty in particular. However, I learned that writing a newsletter was much more then just the writing piece! I enjoyed every bit of the challenge.

First off, I inherited what was a lovable, but outdated template. I decided to take what was there and update the fonts and put in our new school logo, using Microsoft Word. Looking back, I would have used Adobe InDesign, but I think it turned out well enough!

I also noticed something that would need to be advocated for. There was no section describing what our Special Day Classes were up to! I reformatted the pages to fit a section for their classes.

The process:

After a very basic refresh to the look the newsletter, I created the first page with the help of my administration. I wrote and edited the first page sections on my own, and had my principal check for any thing else she would like to add.

I then collected all entries from grade level leads on updates for what their scholars had learned so far during the year. Some teachers formatted their entries into paragraphs, some gave me a few bullet points, and some let it slip their mind and gave me a verbal run down as they walked their kiddos in from recess. I communicated the end product to them to be sure it was accurate. I took what was given minimal or not, and molded it into what you will see below!

After gathering all the information, I then began the editing and copy editing process. This took the longest amount of time. I wanted to be sure to convey to community members all the achievements of our hard working scholars. I also was sure to find a translator to allow our Spanish speaking community to engage with our updates.

After all of that, it was finally finished! Can you believe I did this three times a year? It was so satisfying to receive that fresh stack of newsletters I wrote come in from printing. In my next role, I hope to be able to put my writing skills to use!

Here’s an example!

Posted in Curriculum

Example Lessons: SPREAD Notes!

Posted on by The Techie Teacher

I LOVE using Jamboard in the classroom. It allows for collaboration, immediate feedback, and easy scaffolding during lessons.

Close reading is an essential routine for reading comprehension development, no matter the age. I used a three column note organizer for my upper graders (5th graders) to complete a close reading activity (called SPREADS notes) prior to teaching 2nd and 3rd graders using Google Jamboard. However, you can use it with many other platforms, including Seesaw, Nearpod, or Peardeck.

This is a close reading strategy I adapted from the AVID program. SPREADS stands for Scan the text’s pictures and captions, Predict what the text will be about, Read the text and connect to it, Evaluate the text by asking a question, Analyze the text by answering questions, and describe Details about the text that helped you understand it. The final “S” stands for Summarize the text, which I removed as a modification for my second graders in this lesson.

This rigorous strategy has challenged my students and allowed me to differentiate close reading for them. Best of all, it is an easy routine for teacher’s to prep and deliver!

Here is a picture of an example of what a finished SPREAD note looked like after a reading assignment. I adapted the close reading technique to be more collaborative and primary grade friendly (this one was with my 2nd and 3rd virtual combination classroom). All student names have been hidden.

We start the lesson off by discussing our learning intentions and success criteria. Then we review any essential reading skills and do a “first read” of the text to acquire essential vocabulary and ask questions. Next, students get a collaborative link to the Jamboard, and we jump right into our notes. Last, I assess by reviewing the students’ responses on the “Analyze” slide and provide timely feedback. This assignment can be done over a few days, and once students have the routine down, this assignment can be self paced (always the goal), opening up time for intervention and reading assessments.

This close reading strategy and the use of Jamboard for it really changed the game for our reading routine! The most satisfying part: I see results. Many of my students reading comprehension scores grew after implementing this assignment into their weekly reading routines.

Posted in Awards and Certificates

Outstanding Technology Educator

Posted on by The Techie Teacher

Technology has always been an essential part of my classroom, virtually or not. I have had a near paperless classroom since I began teaching. I earned this award and Certificate of Recognition in May of 2019. I was nominated by my administrator for implementing technology programs in primary grades, as well as coaching other primary teachers on using tech in the classroom. These skills I developed were essential to providing support to other educators when virtual teaching became our new reality.