Welcome Back: First Days Sentiment

On the night before school, I could not sleep. I was too excited that all of the work we have been doing to prepare was going to have real purpose: the students.  When I was walking into the school building on the first day, many children greeted me with smiles and beaming faces. For those of you that don't know, this was QUITE a change from the days I spent in high school where the students are mostly ready to come back BUT not nearly as proud as the first grader who was praised for walking down the steps the proper way or the second grader sporting a brand new backpack. For those of you who have told me, secondary and primary areas are certainly different worlds; however, the feeling remains that we are all here for the right reasons.

This is an ongoing blog series to highlight work that teachers are doing at Apple Pie Ridge to help students achieve great heights.  Naming it aptly "Apple Pie Ridge à la Mode," the blog is a play on the ice cream added to a warm Apple Pie which is not only delicious but is also downright necessary.  This is related to our teachers making the best efforts possible to enable students to access information and skill sets they didn't have before.  As for the cream of the crop of the first few days? Of course, the focus has to go to our students. I have witnessed children singing the ABC's backwards and in phonics, obedient students who were holding in their breath in lines to avoid talking, and some of the happiest little girls and boys in Winchester ready to take on the new year. 

Over the past two weeks, I have began chromebook distribution and students are already in classes learning a variety of information. During chromebook distributions, I, along with the teachers, have discussed how to log into the device, chromebook care, and digital citizenship. The school librarian, Serena Omps, also contributed to the technology work over the past few weeks. She is the school's new site coordinator and has been fielding emails, placing tickets, and helping folks one-on-one. However, what is more impressive was her discussion on day one of professional development. She shared two tools that she learned about from the RockingEduTech Conference: Recap and Epic.

Recap 

Recap is a website where the teacher asks a question and then students answer on video.  This tool is helpful for any age group, but there are some specific advantages to elementary school teachers. Students who are just learning to write may be able to answer you more robustly with a fifteen second time limit.  In the older elementary classes, teachers can have students plan (by writing and then filming) a ten to thirty second response individually where the teacher can view at a later time and give individualized feedback. Teachers can also display the videos on the board to showcase certain answers.

Epic

Need more books in your classroom?  Check out Epic.  A free-for-educators site where you can create classes, connect your Google Classroom, and pull books that are applicable to what you are teaching in any subject area. Students can also choose their own books to read during their own time. Books can also be read to the students through audio books functionality.

If you would like assistance in bringing these website into your classroom, let Serena and I know and we will help you through the process. Twenty-first century learning is ALL about making our students FUTURE READY!  Let's go!