A Classroom in Your Pocket.

For all of the criticism technology, and especially social media, gets for dividing us as a society, I feel that it does quite the opposite for a classroom.  For my AP classes I set up a Twitter account.  This way students can communicate with me, and with each other, when they feel stuck.  Most of the time they just want reassurance that they are on the right path with an assignment.  Instead of being anxious, or not doing the work, they can reach out to me.  

Another thing I do for all  my classes is set up classrooms through Google Classroom.  We all download the app and when I post assignments and announcements, students are instantly notified. Students can also turn in assignments through Classroom and leave me messages.  The use of Classroom has diminished the number of students who ask for assignments after being absent, or who fail to turn things in because they left their notebook at home.  Of course this means that I might have my phone sounding off with alerts from students while I'm walking my dog, but the ability to fit my classroom in my pocket it worth it.

Why Quiz When You can Kahoot?

Quizzes, students hate taking them and I hate grading them.  I didn't think there was a way around it until a student introduced me to Kahoot, an online platform that allows students to take quizzes while competing with each other all from their smartphones.

After creating an account, you can create a multiple choice quiz.  Each quiz is given a pin number.  Students create accounts of their own and then enter the pin given to take the quiz.  They are able to see who else is playing, and try to enter the correct answer before someone else.  On my end, I am able to see who is participating and their results.  Students also are given their results at the end.

At first I was skeptical.  Would students want to take a quiz this way? Yes, they sure do.  They enjoy being able to use their phones, as well as having the instant satisfaction of knowing their grade the minute they are done.  For me, it eases the paper load and gives me time to focus on more great lessons.  Now, if I can only find an app to grade all the essays on my desk.

The Best Laid Plans...

     The best part of being a teacher that began teaching before there was so much technology in the classroom is that I'm not overly dependent on it to get my work done.  Yes, there are times when the SmartBoard doesn't work that I have a mini meltdown inside as I scramble to figure out what to do, but for the most part I have a back up.  However, when you get really excited about doing something, and write about it in your blog, and have technology conk out on you, you can feel really devastated.
     Last week I was to begin my video blog with my students.  I should have known something was amiss when my colleague next door warned me to be careful with the outlets because one of her students went to charge his phone and received a shock. I opened the Chromebook cart and noticed that the indicator lights were off on all the books.  When I opened one, the battery had been drained. As it turns out, there was some sort of short.  This is my explanation of whatever happened, which was explained to me but that I couldn't grasp.  I'm sure I could grasp the reasoning, however, all I heard was, "This will take a while, therefore your project has been derailed."
     My students will go a different route with their poems, we've decided to have a class slam.  Students will work in groups to prepare each other to read their poems with style. Every poem will be read in front of the class, instead of recorded.  I was concerned my kids would be disappointed, but they took it in stride.  "That's what happens, Miss," one student said, referring to technology. Yup, that's what happens.  Thank goodness for being able to fall back on the "old-fashioned" classroom.