#22: The flipped classroom

I think the flipped classroom is a great idea and way to get all students, of all abilities levels, involved and engaged in the classroom.  By engaging with students via classroom activities, grouping activities, and labs, teachers can involve all students in a lesson.  And instead of having the traditional homework, students can home and watch a video, podcast, or PowerPoint of the lesson that was taught during the day.  For students who do not have internet access or a computer, the teacher can offer an alternative assignment or a print out of the PowerPoint lesson
I firmly believe the flipped classroom works and is a wonderful strategy, it can be used and implemented at any school and with any group of students.  However, I do believe that teachers need to receive professional development on how-to strategies of implementing the flipped classroom, especially those teachers who are intimidated and do not like change.

#21: November

I cannot believe that at the end of this week it will be November.  My how time flies!!  It's been a really quick first nine weeks of school and I definitely realized this past week how important Fall Break was for teachers and students.  I really do hope that we get a Fall Break next year.  There is definitely a difference in the teachers and the students this year.  Teachers and students need that break to rest, relax and get refreshed for the second nine weeks.  The past couple of weeks have been very stressful and everyone seems on edge.  In the past when we had a fall break, everyone was able to regroup during the break and come back to school refreshed and ready to finish the semester.
Although we never traveled anywhere fall break because my sons plays football and my husband coaches football, it was nice to have a small break from school.  I sure hope next year the fall break gets added back to the school calendar.

#20: Discuss barriers of technology in education

Technology in our classrooms can be so beneficial if used with fidelity and responsibly.  However, there are barriers of technology in education.  First and foremost, not all students have the same access to technology.  Many students do not even have a computer at home, let alone internet access at home.  Yet, there are many students who not only have a computer at home, but may even have their own laptop, and have access to the internet at home.  Huntsville City Schools implemented a 1-to-1 initiative where every student was given a laptop.  However, there is still the barrier of internet access at home for those students who cannot afford the cost.  Second, there are many teachers who are afraid and intimidated by the use of technology in their classrooms.  Many teachers do not like change, especially when it comes to using and implementing technology in the classroom.  And unfortunately, technology is the future.  Teachers must be able to use and implement technology in the classroom.

#19: Does technology help or harm literacy?

I believe that technology helps and also harms literacy.  Our children are digital natives, they were born with technology in their hands, and they are very skillful when it comes to using technology.  Technology requires students to read, and also solve problems on how to use the technology.  The more a child reads, the better student that child will be in the future.  However, I also believe that there are technologies that harms literacy.  For example, when students use a cell phone to send text messages, or post tweets on twitter they use short-hand, sentence fragments and do not pay attention to grammar mistakes.  Sometimes, even I have a hard time trying to figure out what my own children are trying to stay when they text me or post a message on twitter. 
I do believe that technology helps, more than harms, literacy.  However, as educators we must teach our students the correct and responsible way to use technology so that it will help their literacy.

#18: Discuss an article you’ve read recently about technology in schools.

I recently read an article from "the Journal", Transforming Education through Technology.  The article questions the validity of high-stakes online testing using iPads.  As technology evolves, so does the ability to cheat on summative tests, especially those that are taken online.  Unfortunately, there are students who will cheat on such tests, and there is no easy solution to prevent cheating.  Not only do we have to worry about students who may cheat on a test, there are also teachers who feel so much pressure to make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), that they are willing to risk their jobs for an advantage or upper-hand.  Hopefully, measures have been put in place to prevent teachers from cheating and educators must work hard to find solutions so that the students cannot cheat as well.  Technology can be such a great tool to have in our classrooms and must be used correctly by all parties involved in the education process. 

#17: Tech savy

One thing that I have realized in my new job is that there are some teachers who are extremely tech savy, and then there are others who are at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Our teachers have been using a digital curriculum and the tech savy teachers have done a great job incorporating the digital curriculum into their classrooms.  I am amazed at some of the great strategies these teachers are using in their classrooms, and enjoy conversing with them about what they are doing to engage their students.  There are some really great teachers who are constantly wanting to learn new technologies to share with their students and other teachers.  I am so fortunate to work with these amazing teachers and look forward to learning from them throughout the school year.

#16: Old Technology

What do I do with old technology?  One thing that my children have to pay for is their cell phones, unless they take mine or my husband's old cell phone.  When he or I get a new cell phone, we offer our old ones to the kids.  We will not buy a new phone for them when they can use our old phone.  We could definitely do a better job of donating our old desktop computers and laptops.  We gave a desktop to a friend, but still have a desktop and a laptop collecting dust in our house.  I have a work laptop and an iPad which I will return to Huntsville City Schools, but I also have a laptop for home and an iPad.  The kids have two laptops, and one of which they will also return to Huntsville City Schools.

#15: Technology

I love technology and have always wanted to newest and neatest in technology.  The new iPhone 5 is already on my wish list, and I absolutely love my iPad.  I would have loved this technology as a child, and would love to been able to have access to iPad when my children were smaller.  I have two children, Jake who is a junior at Huntsville High School and Hannah who is an 8th grader at Huntsville Middle School.  Last year for Christmas they both received laptops, and now due to the one-to-one initiative they have another laptop from Huntsville City Schools.  They both enjoy using their laptops for schools, especially Edmodo.  However, they do not like having a textbook on their laptops.  They both would prefer to have a textbook in their hands, which I can completely understand.  As much as I love technology, I'd much rather have a book in my hand than to read off of my iPad.  However, I realize that online textbooks are the future and luckily they are getting a hands-on experience before they will reach college.

#14: New website

A few weeks ago I attend a "Powerful Conversation Network" (PCN) workshop and during the workshop the presenter used a website called "WallWisher" to engage the participates in a survey.  It was fantastic and as a matter of fact, I will be using "WallWisher" as my Web 2.0 cool tool.  It is a wonderful, fun and engaging website that teachers, families and even students can use to gather data or input in various areas.  I look forward to presenting my cool tool in class.

#13: October

Wow!  I cannot believe that it is already October.  It seems just yesterday that it was August and we were beginning a new school year.  I absolutely love the fall time in north Alabama.  The changing of the leaves, the cooler temperatures, Hannah's volleyball season, Jake's football season, college football and the fall holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas make the fall season one of my favorite times of the year.  One thing that I have missed this fall is the yearly Fall Break that we have usually the first week of October.  Although we never traveled due to football, it sure was nice to have a small break.  I did not realize how much I enjoyed Fall Break until this school year.  Whew....I'm tired!!