Poll Everywhere!

Another very cool tool for the high school classroom.  I could use this in multiple ways - survey number of students that prefer a test to a project.  I also have an assignment where the students create a survey and give to their friends - I'm going to change it now so they have the option to use this tool.  Believe it or not, not all students have Smartphones so I could not see using it for a test; however, they are many fun ways to use it.  I will be giving the students an ice cream party. The Personal Finance classes won $6,000 for the school because we had the most Junior Achievement Essay Scholarship Competition entries in Virginia.  My common learning team decided we would celebrate with an ice cream social for all students that participated. in the essay competition. I will send a survey to decide what flavors of ice cream we should serve - it will be fun and a great way to send the invite to. I can send the link to the survey through Remind 101.

The survey I created is titled "What's Your Tax Knowledge?" This survey is not for smartphones but on the web.

Here is the survey I created for the ice cream poll which can be used with smartphones.

iste.nets-t standards:

Standards one, two and three are supported by this tool. A teacher can create projects to facilitate and advance student learning using this software as well as provide students with multiple or a variety of formal or informal assessments. Lastly teachers can, when using the results, evaluate and use information to support research and learning.

Google Forms

This is a great tool for surveys.  I give surveys to my students at the end of the year.  This is a great tool for  me to use to gather the results of the surveys and save a ton of time.  I can also use it with my club, Future Educators Association, to get feedback from the teachers that utilize the FEA tutors. Another way I could utilize this tool is with the Student Run branch of the Apple Federal Credit Union (AFCU) to get feedback from our school customers. The best way to share the survey with my classes is to send the link in a Remind101 message. I have a create a Remind101 group for each of my classes.  If I created a survey for parents, I would send the link via emails and the same for the AFCU customers.

I tried all the different question types except for the essay. I think for the type of survey this is I would only use the grid question format - it presents the questions in the format I prefer.

Here is the link to the published Survey and the embedded version is below.  And finally here is where you can find the spreadsheet published to the web.




Iste.nets.t

Google forms meets standards 2 and 3. Teachers can design digital age assessments and evaluate the results in spreadsheet created via completing the form. This feature automatically makes the data usable and saves the educator much needed time.  Google forms also promotes collaboration which is key for common learning teams. CLTs can develop surveys for parents and students and use the results to modify the course.

Jeopardy!  Love the game - I use it quite a bit for reviews - if the ratio supports it my favorite way to make teams is by gender - it can get quite intense when you put the boys against the girls!  Jeopardy is a great review game.  Last year I started using Take Charge Today Lessons by University of Arizona in my Personal Finance class and they by far have the best jeopardy template.  The review game I am going to share is for end of the class and covers all units.  I play the game before the students complete the "Life in these United States" simulation.  In order to use the template, you have to create an account with them - it is free.  Here is the link to create an account: Take Charge Today by University of Arizona.  I like this jeopardy because it includes a five second count down for the team to answer the question; however, I could not get it to work properly when uploaded and shared.  So if you would like that template, you would have to create an account. Here is what the template looks like

Life in these United States Jeopardy

 

 

 

Here is the link to the Life in these United States Jeopardy game I created using Jeopardy

iste.nets.t

The Jeopardy game used as a review for a quiz demonstrates standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, and standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and standard 3: Digital-Age Work and Learning.

I have had groups of students create their own Jeopardy review games and played them as a whole class with the creators facilitating the game.  And I use Jeopardy games as a review which incorporates digital tools to enhance learning.  Lastly, the Jeopardy review game communicates relevant information and ideas effectively to the students.

 

PREZI

I made a Prezi on Credit - I do love the features of Prezi but find them time consuming, only because I do not use the tool enough. It is a great alternative to PowerPoint.  I think it is not necessarily better than PowerPoint but it is nice to have variety of presentation tools.  Students tire of PowerPoint presentations and Guided Notes. On the other hand, Prezi is similar to PowerPoint because it is used to communicate information.  I think the advantage to Prezi is that it is still fairly new and people tend to like "new".  The disadvantage is the learning curve but once that is mastered, you can quickly make interesting presentations.
My Prezi is on credit and contains a cute SNL video about credit card debt - one has to keep those high school students engaged!

CREDIT

iste.nets-t standards

This assignment meets Standards 3 and 5.  Using new digital tools shows the teacher is innovative and engages in professional growth.  Does stick to the same old stuff because it is easy.  I think it is important for a teacher to change up the lessons each year -there is always room for improvement.  Standard 2 would also be met if the teacher had the students create a Prezi as a final assessment to a unit.

Presume!  It's a Good Thing!

I really enjoyed creating the Presume.  I certainly hope my school doesn't think I am looking for a job since I made it public. Yikes!  Here is the link to my Presume. I have actually used Prezi before.  I have used it to introduce myself at Back to School night.  I also taught Multimedia last year and had all my students create a project using Prezi.  It is a very useful tool and something different from PowerPoint.

iste.net.t standards

Prezi is a great example of standard 3, modeling digital work and learning, and standard 2, design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. I know my students enjoyed using Preze as an alternative to PowerPoint and the learning curve is minuscule. My colleague put together a great Prezi that he uses as his introduction to his students on the first day of class.  

PowerPoint

A very useful tool for many applications.  The Banking PowerPoint I created seems more like a Public Service Announcement as opposed to a PowerPoint I would use in the classroom to teach a topic.  I realize that PowerPoints are suppose to have limited words but when students are completing guided notes I feel itis better to have each PowerPoint have more information.  With that being said, I do stick to a limit of five bullet points and no more than seven words per bullet point. I always do include graphics and many times transitions so that the bullets appear on the screen one at a time.  I feel this helps the students to take notes.  The Banking PowerPoint I created for this assignment has less that five words per slide and large graphics. It is a better design than what I typically use in the classroom, but I feel that it is not geared towards note taking.  I feel PowerPoints Presentations can have different focuses and the design of the PowerPoint is dependent upon the purpose of the PowerPoint. Here is the PowerPoint I created for the Savings and Investing Unit in Personal Finance focusing on banking and saving:  Banking PowerPoint

Another tool I used for this assignment was dropbox which I currently use to store some of my school lesson plans.  However, I have been switching over to Google Docs for no particular reason.

iste.nets-t

This assignment easily aligns with standard three: Module Digital-Age Work ad Learning.  Both these tools, PowerPoint and Dropbox are resources to support student success as well as teachers.  PowerPoint assists in communicating effectively with students.

Google Drive Resume

I had an existing Resume document created in Mircosoft Word.  I uplaoded the document to my Google Drive and shared it publicly:  Here is the link to my Resume I currently use my Google Drive for teaching then I don't have to carry a USB - it is so much easier and effiecient.  I have never published a document to the web before this assignment.

itse.nets-t standards: 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.  Google drive is another 'cloud in the sky" and is quickly eliminating USBs or emailing documents to yourself.  High school students should be encouraged to use this new technology.  So many of them still email themselves documents!

t-test analysis

Here is my published screencast of my t-test indicating whether or not ethnicity impacts reading scores for 8th graders.

Null Hypothesis: There is NO relationship between reading scores and ethnicity on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Alternative Hypothesis:  There IS a relationship between reading scores and ethnicity on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress. .

Here is my image of my excel spreadsheet annotated using Jing:

t-test Does Ethnicity Impact Reading Scores?

I ran a t-test comparing the scores of Whites and Hispanics (left table above), Whites and Blacks (middle table above) and Hispanics and Blacks (right table above). I computed the t-tests using the Data Analysis Tool on Excel assuming there were equal variances. The results of all comparisons indicated a P value of 0 which rejects the null hypothesis stated above.  In conclusion, there IS a significant impact on reading scores based on ethnicity.

APA Style for statistics:
When including statistics in written text, include enough information for the reader to understand the study.  Only include the table if it is absolutely necessary.  I would  use the wording in the above paragraph and I would reference the web site from which the data came (NAEP State Comparisons)

Numbers 1.3

Excel is such a handy tool.  I enjoyed this assignment but did run into problems when I tried to sort my data -  I received an error message referencing merged cells cannot be sorted.  I unmerged the cells (after researching the problem for a little while) and was finally able to use the sort function.  After that, it was a breeze and fun to play around with the scatter chart. Here is my finished product

Comparing the spreadsheets of males and females, one can see that females outrank males in reading by an average of 10 points. This tells me that 8th grade girls overall are better readers than their male counterparts and this is true across all 50 states plus the District and DoDEA.

Virginia is basically in the middle, 24th out of 52, which does not make a Virginian proud.  Virginia must be for lovers not readers.....  Virginia did manage to beat 28 other jurisdictions and our average of 267.6 beats the overall average by one point.

Numbers 1.2

This was not complicated at all. I found the IF function fairly straight forward which is kind of concerning....I hope I completed the task correctly.... Here is my IF FUNCTION formula: =IF(I4>=93,"A",IF(I4>=83,"B",IF(I4>=70,"C",IF(I4>=65,"D","F"))))
Here is the link to my Excel Spreadsheet Numbers 1.2
I actually love Excel and would love to find the time and the tasks to become a proficient user.  The problem is that I don't have the need to use Excel that often so when I do use it the learning curve starts all over again......  That makes me shy away from it.

Success!!! Video Capture with Embeded Code

Excel: Numbers 1.1

I am somewhat familiar with Excel but the problem is that I do not use it enough so I end up have to "try and remember" all the ins and outs.  I find the Help function on Excel good and was able to use it to put my bar graph on a different sheet without any problems.  Here is a link to my Excel Spreadsheet titles Numbers 1:1.
This assignment was a great example of what a teacher can do with grade book information.  However, I feel, that the Grade Book software that we use should have all these features included or at least have the ability to export the data to an Excel spreadsheet.  I love to have this kind of information but quite frankly do not have the time to do this for all 150 students - Yikes - just thinking about it gives me a headache!

Here is a screen capture of the Bar Chart created for this assignment:

Screencast O Matic

Screencast O Matic I thought was easier than Jing - however - I'm not crazy about having myself displayed on the screen!  I did not run into any problems but did find the video helpful.  I created a how to video about How to include charts in a PowerPoint presentation. It is a tool I can use extensively when I teach Multimedia and Web Design.

iste.nets.t standards:

Screencast O Matic meets standard 1 creating educational videos and standard 5 for teachers to engage in professional growth and leadership by sharing with collegues the tutorials for the students.

Video Capture with Embedded Code - Fail!!!!

Video Capture with Embedded Code - Fail!!!!

Now Success!!!!

This is the code from the clipboard: notice the highlighted "unable to display content. Adobe flash required".  I am able to play YouTube videos and I don't think that would be the case if I did not have Adobe Flash - I am using Chrome and have no idea what the problem is......any ideas are welcome......


<!-- copy and paste. Modify height and width if desired. -->
 <object id="scPlayer"  width="1597" height="809" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://content.screencast.com/users/BarbHochstein/folders/Jing/media/aea13fb4-d421-4eeb-af56-1d958cee0179/jingswfplayer.swf" >
 <param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/BarbHochstein/folders/Jing/media/aea13fb4-d421-4eeb-af56-1d958cee0179/jingswfplayer.swf" />
 <param name="quality" value="high" />
 <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
 <param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/BarbHochstein/folders/Jing/media/aea13fb4-d421-4eeb-af56-1d958cee0179/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=1597&containerheight=809&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/BarbHochstein/folders/Jing/media/aea13fb4-d421-4eeb-af56-1d958cee0179/Apple_Federal_Credit_Union_Bag_Tracker_Procedures_for_the_Student_Run_Branch_at_Stone_Bridge_High_Schoool.swf&blurover=false" />
 <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />
 <param name="scale" value="showall" />
 <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" />
 <param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/BarbHochstein/folders/Jing/media/aea13fb4-d421-4eeb-af56-1d958cee0179/" />

 Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

Jing Screencast

I love Jing Screencast - it will be so helpful for training my students on the procedures for the Apple Federal Credit Union Student Run Branch.  The screencast I created was to teach the branch managers the procedures on how to do the bag tracker:  AFCU SR Branch Bag Tracker Video  This task has to be completed every day at the end of the last lunch shift and the school credit union is open every day during all lunch shift.  Using Jing I was quickly able to create a video (digital movie) that I will be able to use and save myself lots of time. Creating a digital movie without a digital camera is a cinch using the Jing.

Jing is fairly easy to use.  After installing Jing the Jing 'Sun' appears on your screen with three prongs. The first prong captures the image (screen), the second is history of all video and screen captures you created, and the third is more for more information about Jing. The more button allows you to access help as well as customize Jing. Once you click on the first prong, capture you can "capture" any portion or all of your screen and then you have the option to capture is as a screen image or a video.  If you select video you can get all your steps of your cursor and add video to create a how to tutorial - pretty nifty tool for a teacher!  The capture is then saved to your computer (videos as SWF file, screen captures as png files)  and/or to screencast.com.  The later allows you to share your image or video.

iste-nets-standards:  3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.  Jing allows me to teach my students a task that they may forget how to do and now have the option to quickly pull up the video and get a quick refresher.  Jing video capture is a great way to communicate information effectively to all audiences of a teacher: students, parents, and even administration!  The only problem in the classroom is the lack of technology. When oh when is LCPS going to get on board and provide technology to all high school students (for starters).

Padlet

Padlet is a nifty tool that allows multiple users to express their thoughts on a common topic - it is a virtual wall.    There are numerous uses in a classroom setting from commenting on a article to posting questions on a topic to brainstorming.  It could also be use to plan a party. To use it in the classroom it is important to set expectations on appropriate and inappropriate posts.  After setting expectations, a teacher could use this tutorial to teach the students how to use Padlet.

I love Quotes so quickly created a page of a few of my favorite quotes:

A few of Barb's Favorite Quotes

iste.nets-t standards
2 b and d.  Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual  learning and contribute tot he learning of others.

Get A Video

It is so frustrating to count on being able to view a YouTube video and then run into problems either because YouTube has been blocked due to SOL testing, slow internet, or, the worst case scenario, the internet is down.  The internet at our school has been unreliable.  I have started downloading all videos I plan to share using Dirpy - Internet DVR - YouTube to MP3 Converter and Video Downloader
It is super easy to use.  I highly recommend it.

STEP 1:  Copy and paste URL into the dirpy website, click dirpy!.

First screen in Dirpy Video Download

STEP 2: 

A new screen is displayed and in the Record Video section on the left side you click video quality "High-360p.mp4 and your video is downloaded to your machine and, if you want, you can then copy it to a USB.

Second Screen in Dirpy Download

iste.nets-t standards

Having the ability to download a video from whether it be froom YouTube or other video sources allows teachers to design relevant learning experiences using digital tools (2a).  Additionally, if students download videos, it allows them to customize and personalize learning activities. (2c)

The Money Management Video I downloaded is an anticipatory set to Long Term Investing for my Personal Finance class:

Wordle Money Management

Next week I'm starting the unit on Money Management so I will use my Money Management Wordle as an anticipatory set to find out what the students currently know about the vocabulary in the Wordle - it can open up a great discussion as to the importance of money management and what it involves.

Money Management

Another way to use Wordle is to have the students create their own wordle using the vocabulary words from a new Unit. I could also use Wordles in Accounting.

Wordle

Wordle is a great vocabulary diagnostic tool.  Reminds me of the word splashes I've used to introduce vocabulary at the beginning of a unit to determine what the students do and do not know.  They are also very "visually appealing" and so much easier to create with this tool than the word splashes I've created with Microsoft Word.

It was a lot of fun and I had to force myself to stop fiddling with all the options adjusting layouts and color and font - so many choices!  

My first go around at using Wordle was to compare the NETS T standards from 2000 and 2008 in a Wordle and summarize my take on the direction that the NETS T have taken in their most recent refresh.  

2000 NETS T Standards

2008 NETS T Standards

After comparing the Wordles above, I noticed that the 2008 focus is more on students as opposed to student. The 2008 standards promote engaging students, develop, model, promote, support.  The shift is to be involved as opposed to receive the information. It supports Web 2.0, a more dynamic web pages - where the student is involved not simply reading/receiving information. Teachers are encouraged to actively engage the students using technology. Previously, technology was thought of more as an online encyclopedia.

NETS T Standards: This tool can be used to meet the first standard: facilitate and inspire student learning ad creativity.  The students could create Wordles themselves and this would give them a chance to become familiar with the words prior to introducing them. And it would be fun.....

Picasso - My Portrait

Fun tool - Picassohead I could use this when I teach Multimedia - be a great first day project.  I also have a lesson in Teacher Cadet where the students draw a teacher - this tool would also work well with that.  It would be so nice if we had iPads that the students could use....some day.  I did not run into any snags creating the image - but I did get side tracked and spent way too much time playing..... I don't have that kind of time to waste but we all need a little break from the day to day grind and IT IS a snow day - just another snow day.....seems almost routine these days.

Link  to my Portrait via Screencast

iste.nets.t Standards:  Picasso Head tool directly relates to standard 1: promote, support,and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. There are numerous ways to use this tool - even to create characters from stories or in a journal to reflect moods. Either way it promotes creativity and inventiveness.

Jing Image - Cool Tool - Love It!

Jing is a very handy tool which I could use for so many of the classes that I teach - Accounting - especially when I have a substitute.  For Multimedia to teach the new lessons such as my example here for Effective PowerPoint Presentations.  I could also use it in Personal Finance when I teach the online banking software lesson.

Step 1: Effective PowerPoint Presentations

The image is saved to Screencast.  The benefits of Screencast is that you can also share your image with others using the assigned URL.  So if someone was absent - I could send them the link or I could put the link on my webpage so others could access it.

Learning Outcomes:

1.  The file type that comes out of Jing screen capture is a PNG file. PNG is ideal because when the file is compressed, it has the same exact quality as an uncompressed image which means the PNG files look exactly like the screen you captured.

2.  Jing saves images in Jing History

3. Jing history is accessed by hovering over the sun icon and clicking the history button.

4.  I don't fully understand the question to me is seems like it places a copy in the history on your computer.

5. Use the click on Insert Image icon in the tool bar of the blog and copy the Jing Image URL and save.

6. You can publish using Screencast.

7. You can share with others via the URL link or you could put the link on Diingo!

iste.nets-t standards addressed

Standard 3c and 3d:  communicating effectively to students, parents, and peers using digital age media and formats and facilitating effectively using current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

Zoom.....Fun

Today I Zoomed (video chat) with Colleen Phalen, a classmate and a long time friend.  Our oldest children, both boys, attended St. Theresa School from kindergarten until 8th grade.  Now they are both away at college!  Time flies......

Zoom, for me, is simply another tool for video conferencing. Currently, I use Google Hangouts the most because that is what I first used and I'm accustomed to it.  Why fix what ain't broken!  Also my son uses Google Hangouts so that is what we use while he is away at college. I also use FaceTime which is so convenient for iPhone users! My other son is an avid Skype user - he uses Skype because that is what his girlfriend uses.  The main difference between Skype and FaceTime compared to Google Hangouts and Zoom is that the later two can have more than two people and you can see everyone - so that is a cool feature if you have more than two participants.

There are so many options to use this, not only in the classroom but in life.  Keep in touch with everyone that doesn't live close.  Unfortunately, my brother in Arizona is not very tech savvy so ....... he does not video chat.

I teach high school and mostly juniors and seniors.  The parents of my students, for the most part, are not involved in their children's school work - they are preparing them to leave the nest and go to college.  They won't be monitoring their work in college so they start around 11th and 12th grade allowing them to gain their independence and handle their school work themselves.

Prior to teaching, I was in the business world and one of my jobs involved 100% travel to train individuals on the newly implemented computer system.  I feel I would have still had to give them one on one support/training on location but video conferencing would have been a nice tool to troubleshoot problems or simply check in to see how it was going.

Oh the possibilities for video conferencing!!!

Diigo - social bookmarking - who knew?

WOW!  Diigo is life changing for me - I have so many favorites saved on my IE browser it makes my head spin - now I have a great resource to organize them - it will make finding things so much easier! As time permits I plan to organize all my favorites with tags.  Thus far I have limited library, but I look forward to having time to expand it - maybe in the summer when things are a little less hectic!

Diigo, which stands for Digest of Internet Information Groups and Other Stuff and is pronounced DEE-GO. It is a social bookmarking site on steroids!  In order to get started and fully understand the tool, it is a good idea to watch the you tube video.  There are three steps to getting started 1) find anything of interest to you on the Web that you want to bookmark, 2) add a comment so others can see what you are interested in and your thoughts, and 3) organize the article(s) with tags so it is easy to find in the future.

Whenever you have emailed a link to a website you have participated in social bookmarking. Using Diigo, you save the bookmarks to the web, not your browser.  Diigo allows you the advantage to highlight and add sticky notes to the page as well as organize the page with tags and lists.  You can also make your social bookmarks public.

Web 2.0 pushes computing power off the desktop to the Internet. Web 1.0 websites were static, but Web 2.0 websites are dynamic and interactive. Users can now share information with each other.  Diigo is exactly the type of website that Web 2.0 refers to.

As far as add-ons, I typically haven't used them or rather haven't been aware I was using them.  I'm always suspect and don't want the annoyance of popup ads.  However, I realize now that not all add-ons are bad - some are necessary for multimedia content such as animations.  I recently switched to Chrome from Internet Explorer so will need to continue to research the add-ons available for Chrome.

As for the iste.nets-t standards addressed in this assignment, Diigo would meet standards 1c & d because it lends itself to collaborative work and also lends itself to locating, analyzing, and evaluating information resources.

How Millennial Are You? Almost.....63....

I took the millennial quiz and was surprised I scored a 63, considering I was born in 1959 - I think that is pretty good IF you want to be in the millennial mindset.  Using social media really helped to increase my score.  I have a Facebook page and Instagram and Snapchat.  I don't post very often, but look at the posts of my teenagers and some of my students.  My parents divorced when I was 11 so that put me in the middle of the question regarding whether or not your parents were married during most of your growing up.  If I changed my answer to no, my score was raised to a 71!

As far as implications for my teaching or my students' learning, I teach high school so I do like to keep up with what is important to my students and what technology they are using. I think it helps me connect with the students which is key to a successful teacher.  One of the classes I teach is Personal Finance and I would love it if each student had a tablet, there is so much on the internet that I could use.  I also frequently text my students, if they did not turn in an assignment, I don't hesitate to text them to remind them, especially if it is close to report card time.  I much prefer they empower themselves as opposed to calling home when a student is not doing well in the class.

My response to Frand's 10 Characteristics of the Information-Age Mind Set:

Computers Aren't Technology:  Computers are technology to me. We certainly didn't have one in the house when I grew up and God forbid - we only had one small TV!  Yes - that is a surprise to a "millennial" and they don't understand how we survived.  I remember only using the computer in college for my computer classes - definitely not to take notes in class....

Internet better than TV:  Agreed!  I love to be able to DVR shows or watch what  I want on Netflix.  Anything to limit wasting my time watching commercials!  I check weather, read the news, read decorating blogs.  Maybe I need to limit my "screen time".

Reality no long real: So true - one must be careful to be sure the information they are receiving is indeed "real".  There is boat loads of information available to us on the internet and we need to "sift" through it before relying on it as "real". It is important to teach students these skills.

Doing Rather than Knowing: I am a Career and Technical Education teacher and part of the curriculum is workplace readiness skills.  It is important to teach students higher level thinking, how to solve problems, and how to cope with issues/problems.  Teach them to think on their feet.  Students need to realize that in real life there is no word bank or study guide. 

Nintendo over Logic: Gotta read the manual - it is the only way. When I purchased my first iPhone, I (believe it) printed out the manual and put it in a three ring binder!! Yikes.  I actually  haven't looked at it - well maybe a few times and then I just played with it and when I was stumped - I asked my teenager or my student! Problem solved - who needs to read the manuals!

Multitasking Way of Life: I am not "in" on this one.  For some things yes - watching TV and texting or surfing the net - that's OK.  But for tasks like "homework" I think the less distractions the better, "focus Daniel son".  To accomplish challenging tasks one must get rid of the noise and focus.  I also believe it is also important to over all well-being to have down time, quiet time, every day.

Typing Rather than Handwriting: It depends!  Hand written notes are more appropriate than typed notes but then when writing papers or blogs - typing wins hands down!  I think it is important to know how to write cursive though but that is fast becoming a lost art.  If I write something on the board in cursive - many students have a challenging time reading it - no it is not my handwriting!

Staying Connected: Yes- I love being connected. Yet - I don't jump when the cell phone rings - especially if I am "doing" something else- maybe enjoying dinner with my family, or cooking dinner, or reading a good book.  I feel it is important to "disconnect" for some time each day. 

Zero Tolerance for Delays: Oh those millennials - want it now!!!  I can relate - with all the new technology comes the ability to get it now.  Doctors can now have the ability to view x-rays via their phone while they are out to dinner!  Amazing and time efficient!

Consumer/Creator Blurring: Beware stealing Intellectual Property is not ethical!  Student and everyone must find the line between what is fair and ethical and what is theft.  Plagiarism, simply put, is wrong! Give credit to the creator! As a high school teacher - this is a very touchy subject.

First Blog Post WooHoo! Finally

I love to read decorating blogs and follow several!  I am looking forward to having my own blog.  My first blog post is quite delayed as I had a family emergency (and still have) which substantially delayed my ability to get started. So I'm a little behind the eight ball so to speak but I am really looking forward to all the fun new tools I will learn how to use and finding ways to apply them in the classroom.  Happy Blogging Everyone!