Every time I hear about or read about questioning strategies, I remember this exact clip from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I lived west of Chicago when I was in high school, and this movie takes me back to some really funny high school memories (that also include skipping class to spend the day in the city.) In my opinion, this clip (and movie) is so funny, I would rank it #1 as all time funniest- and gets me thinking on the fond memories about some of the quirky personalities of my high school teachers.
Use Padlet with one of your classes. Ask a question, allow for students to post to the Padlet. To earn your badge, send me the link to your Padlet in an email.
OR
Use Socrative with one of your classes. Use the “Quick Question” or “Exit Ticket” option, allow for students to post. To earn your badge either forward the email to me that has your results, or download results and attach them as an email to me.
Congratulations on finishing Your Amazing Race:COCISD!
Remember, it's never too late to be a life long learner and role model for your students! I would love to read about you on Twitter!
These teachers have earned 6 badges and a world famous (ok maybe county famous) COCISD spirit shirt. Give them a pat on the back or high five for working on this voluntary learning.
Amazing Race:COCISD ends at 9:00 a.m. on December 18th, 2015!
The competition is getting tight! COHS is still in the lead with the most people earning at least one badge, but only by 1- JSE/CIS and LJH are close behind!
Congratulations to Natalie Martin and Matthew Richey for earning a shirt by completing 6 Amazing COCISD professional development challenges! That's 2 teachers from LJH that have completed the Amazing Race:COCISD and 1 from CIS/JSE!
Working in the Power Zone- it's a phrase used to describe the most effective position in your classroom. Check out the Prezi below- it uses a video creation tool called "Xtra Normal" for the first part, and then when that's finished, click the forward arrow located under the viewing window. You will need to know the differences between the 3 zones described in the Prezi for this week's challenge.
After watching and reading the Prezi, create an Animoto that compares the 3 different work zones in a classroom.
Here is the criteria:
Create an Education account, so that your students can use your educator's code in their "Account Info" and create Animotos with a longer length than the free version.
Compare and contrast the 3 types of work zones by finding images that represent each.
There should be at least 2 images to represent each work zone.
Give credit where credit is due: One way is to add text boxes at the end of the video to put the websites where you got your images. You can put more than one website on a text box. Another way is to put all the sites in your description, which you will see after you click on the "Produce" button.
Share your Animoto by tweeting it out with #amazingCOCISD or pin it on a Pinterest board. Click here for directions on how to share.
Here is a help video to get you going with Animoto.
----------------- No Bonus Will Be Given Out This Week -----------------------------------
We have our first Amazing Race:COCISD finisher: Melanie Peiskee on the Lincoln Junior High team!Way to go, Melanie! She has completed each challenge posted so far, and has completed each bonus, so that she already has a total of 6 badges!
More stats: We still have COHS in the lead now with 13 people earning at least 1 badge, and their leading now by 2 people! CIS/JSE is in second and LJH is in third place.
This week's theme is building good parent/teacher communication.
Watch the video to see suggestions on a positive conference experience with parents. Click here to watch. A more experienced teacher once told me that talking with parents is like working a bank. The more you add positive "relationship coins" the more they are prepared when you need to talk with them about the tough topics- the withdrawal isn't so painful if you have plenty in the bank :)
To earn this week's badge, please create a digital Parent Contact Log using a Google Form. Follow the directions in the video below to create it.
Why create a digital Parent Contact Log?
prevents loss of a paper copy
conveniently located in one place- your computer desktop, so you have it when you need it
reduces paperwork shuffle at the end of each 6 weeks because it's already shared with your supervisor/principal
when a parent calls the principal, the principal already is aware of situations by reading your Contact Log
it's a place you can document positive conversations or comments you share with parents
To see this video full screen, click on the top edge of the video. It will open up full screen.
You earn your badge for Week 4 Challenge when you email me the link to your form. Since this is your live form, you should not tweet it out or put it in a reply to this post.
Bonus Badge for Week 3: It’s the season for giving thanks, so “catch” another staff member doing something good for the campus, department, or for you, and share it out by clicking on the "comments" link below. Let's see how many different people we can acknowledge! Those of you on Twitter, go ahead and tweet it and include #amazingCOCISD :)
Way to go, COCISD! So far we have the COHS team in the lead! Follow the directions below to earn the "Framing the Lesson" badge on your badge banner and in your Credly account.
Remember! It's never too late to begin- 6 badges by Christmas break
earns you a collared spirit shirt!
What does the phrase "Framing the lesson" mean? Watch the video or read the blog post below:
Open your Google Drive and create a one slide presentation that “frames the lesson.” Your slide should have the wording “We will…” and “I will” statements. See the expectations by watching the video at this link. How to use this slide in your real life presentations to frame your lesson: After doing this slide, you will be able to click on that slide in the slide sorter, right click, and copy. You can go to another presentation, click at the beginning of your lesson and paste it. Then click at the end of your lesson and paste it. You have now created a nice visual to remind you to Frame Your Lesson! To earn your badge for this, you need to reply to this post with your link to your slide and a comment. You will click the word "comments" to post your comment. Watch the video link above to see how to get your link!
This is a preso slide from Slides Carnival- great place to get free templates
Here's your chance to earn another badge- related to the theme "Classroom Management."
CIS and JSE teachers: Sign up for an account with Class Dojo , add the app to your iPad, and use it with at least one of your classes.
LJH and COHS teachers: Use either of these tools to create an account and use it with one of your classes:
Classcraft: a simulation environment similar to being in a video game. Here's an overview. If you need more assistance, let me know!
ClassBadges: an online way for students to earn badges you designate. You set up an online class, your students are assigned accounts, and you decide which badges the students can earn. Here's an overview. If you need more assistance, let me know!
It may take a week or two to earn this badge! To earn this badge, please tweet, pin, or Email me some photos that shows it in action. I will be making a presentation showcasing these tools in action to share on the blog!
Week 2 Challenge: Trying New Tools for Classroom Management!
Do you look forward to your day with your students? Sometimes we get so involved with the work related to teaching our students, we inadvertently put aside the work of relationships with our students. For this challenge, please read one of the following blog posts and trying a suggestion from one of them. Take a picture that shows the suggestion in action and tweet it using #amazingCOCISD or add it to a Pinterest board you've started called "Classroom Management Ideas." Using your phone's camera to take pictures showing your ideas in practice is allowed, but please, do not use student names.
Use your Twitter PLN by clicking in the search box and typing #classmanagement to find a classroom management suggestion.
Use your Pinterest PLN by clicking in the search box and typing classroom management.
To learn how to tweet a picture, it's 3 steps-click here for help. If you want to post an image to your board, it's 4 steps- click here for help.
Please remember to create a Credly account so I can send you digital badges. They will be great for adding to your artifacts for your evaluation. I will be coming by your room to put a badge on your badge banner, too! These challenges also accrue as CPE credits. You will receive a certificate at the end of the Amazing Race:COCISD. Each challenge is 1 CPE credit.
There's been a great response to Week 1 Challenge! Which school is ahead? It's too close to call!
Did you notice that the challenge was about building your Personal Learning Network? It's a great opportunity to make connections with other educators who can give advice, offer support, and open your mind to new ideas and strategies.
Twitter is my favorite digital tool for this because it's a quick way to connect, and to find help and help others- I enjoy participating/reading Twitter chats. Here's a short video from @coolcatteacher that shows how. Here's a list of regularly scheduled chats.
"I Don't Do Twitter!"
Not a fan of Twitter? No problem! Remember, the goal of Week 1 Challenge is to create a PLN, so choose another digital tool- like Pinterest! Check out the video below for help. To earn your PLN badge using Pinterest, create a board that has at least 3 pins and invite me to it!
Pinterest has lots of resources for all subjects that are taught in our district- even our electives!
Together We're Better:
If you "don't do Twitter," try this way to connect with others, you deserve to have a network of educators to relate with and grow with!
By now you have noticed the badge banners outside your door, and you have read the introduction in the previous post. You are chomping at the bit to start the challenges and be finished by the end of the semester and earn the free collared spirit shirt for earning your badges, so watch the video and discover your Week One Challenge!
What a great turn out we've had for our Robotics Club this year! Mrs. Everett and I are sponsors for about 15 wonderful students who are building robots to compete in the Region 6 event coming up later this year. I am thrilled with the energy that students are showing, and we've got a great field trip to SpaceCenter Houston in November to help motivate and inspire us!
I'm so proud of these 3 students who started with no knowledge of programming and at the end of the semester, had working robots that performed tasks. We met weekly from mid-March to mid-May. Aimie Patrick was a co-sponsor of the club, and like the students and me, had no previous experience. Beyond the technology, I really enjoyed getting to know these young people and look forward to meeting up and planning for competition next fall.
The students in the Coldspring Intermediate School Robotics Club are my joy right now! These students THINK hard- and it's always happening! Here are the results of the work, meeting twice a month since the middle of March. I am really grateful for the Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Education Foundation for the funding, and Courtney Capers, my "partner in crime" who co-sponsored the club. Smiles and laughter all around for this great program!
Opening eyes to their future- that's what the Hour of Code was all about. Students were able to sample what it means to be a computer programmer- one of those "you don't know what you don't know" times in the classroom. Seeds of opportunity were planted in 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and I can't wait to see them grow!
Here are some great pics- even a few students who study computer programming independently at the high school got in on the action helping the 5th grade students!
