Post #11: "Change is inevitable, growth is optional"

One year ago, as I made my way back to Colorado after another eventful summer teaching summer school at my alma mater in Hawaii, I was looking forward to another exciting year of third grade. For years people have echoed that year one was always a challenge for a first-year teacher, year two consisted of changing everything that didn’t work, and years three and on would simply be tweaking little things here and there.  Little did I know that year four would bring a dynamic shift to our classroom and I could not have imagined how much of an impact it would have on our school year a mere nine months later.

Post #10: Information Overload!

We are constantly talking about how connected our students are, the pros and cons of technology in their lives, and how we can mindfully incorporate their connected lives into our classrooms.  At times, it’s also easy to forget how connected we are, the pros and cons of technology in our own lives, and how we can mindfully connect and disconnect in our daily routines.

Post #9: Mindfully Integrating Technology

I recently stumbled across an old assignment from a technology class taken in my final years of college. As I read through some of my thoughts and ideas, I couldn't help but sink a bit deeper into my couch with a bit of chagrin.

Post #8: BreakoutEDU

About a year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to experience my first escape room, Asylum, and it lived up to the hype with the perfect combination of logic, wit, and creepy! Fast forward just a few months and I found myself with a couple of teammates engaged in a session hosted by Sarah Stuhr and Crystal Miller featuring an engaging, inquiry-based activity...BreakoutEDU!

Post #7: "Alexa..."

It started innocently enough as a Christmas gift from a student two Christmases ago.  After running into her mother in the hallway, I thanked her for the Echo Dot and told her daughter to start thinking of ways we could use it in our classroom.  Her mother immediately intervened and said that wasn’t necessary, reassuring me that wasn’t the intent and that it could be enjoyed to listen to some music at home.

So for the remainder of the year, I did.