Poor Susie, all that hard work and now she has to start all over again.

Been there done that and I am sure I will do it again!  I just recently had to search everywhere for a project I have done several years now and could not find it anywhere.  I thought I kept hard copies of it, I believed that I had it saved on a thumb drive, I was almost positive it was in my Google Docs.  Stressed out and beyond frustrated I began rewriting the entire project.  The project was nearly done, again, when I remembered where I had saved it.  There it was, with a name that I am sure made sense when I saved it, but for the life of me I couldn't make a connection between the file name and the content.  Oh well, I found it.

This year I have begun compartmentalizing each of my units.  With reading resources, I have created a folder for each unit and within each unit I have placed a folder for each week.  This way I can easily find a specific story and the resources for that story.  I used to keep a page with URL's of sites that I liked to visit during specific reading lessons, but what I have found is that sometimes the sites are no longer up.  So to combat that happening again, I now take a screen shot or save as a PDF if possible, and place those in my folders as well.  All the files are upload to my Google Docs personal account

For specific skills I keep folders for language arts, math, science, and social studies.

To help me keep all this organized, I have been converting all my old files to new and discarding resources that I either no longer use, or that did not work well for me.  In the past I kept everything - after all I might need it some day.  But with technology improving everyday, I figure if I need it that bad some day down the road I can find it, or more likely, something better.

What a powerful idea Daniel Pink presented.  How could I AMP up my professional situation?  Looking at my teaching over the past few years I think I need to reevaluate why I became a teacher.  I know I did not come to teaching after raising my children because of the money - so take the carrot out of the picture.  I did it because I truly wanted to make a difference in the lives of children.  Things have gotten in the way and at times I have lost site of why I teach.

I do have to be compliant but that does not mean that I cannot find autonomy in the lessons I teach my students.  I can master my craft and be the best teacher possible.  My purpose is clear - make a difference in the lives of each student I come in contact with - whether they are my students or in the class next door.

It is not the day to day but the journey that matters.  I will strive to embrace the journey and the pitfalls I may encounter along the way.

Front Row Ed

Megan introduced me to FrontRowEd.com a few weeks ago.

Front Row is a math program that allows students to practice math at their individual level.  I had been using xtramath.org which is a great tool that tracks student mastery of math facts but FrontRow takes it to a new level.

Currently FrontRow is not available on tablets.  My experience is that my students can access it on an iPad, my Mac laptop, school laptop and all desktops.

At the primary level students can practice in any of five domains - Numbers in Base Ten; Geometry, Counting and Cardinality, Algebraic Thinking; Measurement and Data; or Fractions.  Students are challenged at their ZPD and data is transferred to the teacher.

Students - The program includes a dashboard with manipulatives and scratch paper.  The dashboard also has a help button that will walk the student through the problem. Students can have the problem read to them - a big plus with the lower grades even when students click on the help button they are walked through the problem with audio.  Students are receiving individualized practice and instruction.

As a teacher I can print out practice sheets - each sheet is individualized. Teachers can access a standards based report card on each child as well as see the entire class matrix which indicates the standard which needs the most attention.  At the end of the week teachers receive an email outlining students who have made the most progress, least progress, and those who have practiced.

Parents can sign up to receive a weekly email letting them know where their child is and the progress made for the week.

I am using it as a math center and as differentiated math homework.  The program allows me to continue with my current lessons but allows for each student to work at their own pace.  During our computer lab time all students must work in the Numbers in Base Ten domain for 3 segments.  In the classroom students rotate during math time and are allowed to work in any of the domains that they wish to improve.

The report cards allow me to conference with each student and help them set a goal for the week.

The only drawback that the program has is that the standards are all Common Core - the easy fix?  I have created a conversion chart for me to refer to.

The creators are very receptive to feedback and helpful if there are questions.

The most important use of this tool is that it truly reflects the ability of each child.  I can see where mastery has been achieved as well as adjust my teaching to reinforce areas I may have lacked.    The numerous data that is given will be a great tool to have when speaking with parents during conferences.

I would have to say that for my second graders this tool would fall in the Modification zone.  I have been able to redesign how I teach math in the last few weeks.  Introduction of new concepts still lies with me, but I am able to focus on each individual child rather than the middle of the road.

Technology Integration

The best way for me to respond to this assignment is to put my responses in table form - easier for me to track. I teach all subject areas in second grade, but for the purpose of this exercise, I focused on mathematics.

	Active	Collaboration	Constructive	Authentic	Goal Directed
Where do I rate myself in…	Adaptation – students in my class are able to access their own math goals, use various technologies to practice skills and create problems for others to solve.	Adoption – currently there is minimal collaboration in math class using technology. With that being said, during center rotations, students do work in small groups to process math concepts and improve skills using the available technologies.	Adoption – as in the constructive phase, students do access technology to build upon their mathematical schema, but there is much more I can do to improve.	Entry – sadly there is little authentic use of technology as I see it.  There is so much emphasis on hard scores; I have not found my niche yet.	Entry – we have just recently begun to set goals using technology.  I am guiding my students with only a few ready to do it on their own.
­­­Where do I think I could be by the end of the next grading period?	I feel that it is reasonable to predict that I could move up one level in each category.  This class is opening new doors for me and I am excited to see what I can bring to the table for my students in the future.
What steps do I need to take in order to make the growth?	Without a doubt in order to make any growth I will need to make a conscious effort to seek out help and assistance from those successfully integrating technology in their classrooms.  It will also be necessary for me to look closely at my current lesson and ask “How can I use technology to achieve the same end?”

Adapting

How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make? Why or Why not? When thinking about this question I had to ask myself where am I now? Am I Down With or Done With Homework? I am definitely down with it. My students are 4 - 5 math problems that either revisit the current concept being taught or act as a review for past skills. The problems are are a mix of computation and word problems. The other portion of the homework is centered around the spelling skill for the week. At the beginning of the year I give a sample homework assignment in class to gauge the amount of time it takes to complete. I take the average time and am able to tell my parents that the homework should not take more than (this year) 10 minutes to complete. In December I was mortified when a parent told me it was taking her son 2 1/2 hours to complete his homework. I could not understand how - he is a bright boy, somewhat distracted, but nonetheless bright. To solve the problem I decided to time him in class. It did indeed take him 35 minutes to complete two word problems. What I observed was that he was constantly looking around the room, tapping his pencil, talking to peers, trying his hand at the review work the other students were completing. When I finally called it quits I showed him my timer and asked his progress, he was disappointed in himself that he could not even complete the other problem. In his mind he told me only a couple minutes had passed. Mom and I met again and I shared what I had observed. During this second meeting I learned that in addition to the work I assign mom and dad were giving 5 - 6 worksheets for him to complete! Mom said she felt that more practice was good for him. She said she would buy books at a teacher store and give him pages to do along with his class work. I asked that she not give him any extra work until he could do my assignments in under 20 minutes. Within 3 weeks he was able to complete all my work in 12 minutes. What I am trying to get at is there has to be a balance. The work needs to be relevant, students need distraction free learning area at home, and as much as possible, at school. Am I willing to forgo homework? No/Yes. NO - The plain and simple truth is that with as much as we have to teach our little ones to prepare them for ISTEP and IREAD and whatever else lies ahead we need to send a bit of work home. Parents need to see what the expectations are for today's second graders. YES - I think that as I evolve as a 21st Century Teacher, I will learn ways to help my students foster a love of learning through creative homework. When this happens, I see myself assigning self-paced, inquiry based learning activities that will require an at home connection. To that end my Monday - Thursday homework would disappear.

With regards to my first discussion, I feel as though I am Effective in most areas as a collaborator and in examining course content. However, I would rate myself as evolving in the areas of presentation of ideas and personal sharing. Sharing through a pen has always been a difficult task for me. I am able to convey my thoughts through personal interactions; however, the idea gets lost in translation on paper.