"Appy" Monday: TouchCast

"Appy" Monday everyone. I am looking forward to a short week here on the farm. We will be heading to the lake this weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July with family but in the mean time I wanted to share one of my all time favorite apps to use in the flipped classroom.

I stumbled upon Touchcast last year and immediately fell in love. I was getting ready to go on maternity leave and needed a way to show my students how to set things up when I was gone (I was planning on being out the first nine weeks of the year) I wanted my classroom to run smoothly upon my return and touch cast gave me the ability to teach as if I was right in the room with them. Moving from writing on the chalkboard, to polling the audience, including a youtube video, and even surfing the web all from within my touchcast video. It is fantastic!!

Our students are used to receiving information quickly and multiple ways. They are multi-tasking experts, and they want their information fast. Touchcast allows for that. It also gives you the ability to include social media feeds, and quick check questions.

Currently I have been using this app to create videos for my students in my flipped classroom. Not all of my videos are Touchcast videos but I feel it is a great tool for when I need to incorporate multiply tools.

I plan on encouraging my students to use Touchast as they create their own projects and assignments. I also want to start using it to help provide information to parents and other members of our community. I foresee it being a wonderful tool to really help bridge the gap between the parent/ school partnership.

I truly feel that Touchast is allowing me to create more meaningful and engaging content for my students. It is giving that instant feedback that they need to know if they are on the right track with something of maybe need to revisit it. I also am really looking forward to extending my use to communicate outside my classroom environment. There is a fantastic PDF that can be used to find out more about Touchcast in Education or to share with your colleagues. Feel free to leave any comments below if you have used Touchcast or would like more information about how I use it in my class.

Why The Flip

For most of you no introduction to the flipped classroom is necessary but I hate to say I was speaking to a principal a week or so ago and mentioned using the flipped classroom and he informed me he wasn't familiar with it... WHAT??? Ok maybe I am a little biased because I am soooo in love with it but come on!

So for those few individuals who haven't been introduced to the sunny side let me give you a quick definition.  Flipped Classroom: Students watch the instruction from home via video (or other method) and complete the practice in the classroom where the teacher is available for assistance. Can you see the flip... homework at school, lesson at home. I do have to be honest and say that much of my lessons are still viewed in my classroom and I am ok with that.... more on the actual set up of my flip to come soon. 

I just wanted to give you a quick background of WHY??? Why did I want to use the flipped classroom? Why do I love the flipped classroom? and Why I think it is a great model to ensure you aren't leaving any child behind!!! 

After teaching math the traditional way I was really noticing that a lot of my students were getting left in the dust. They wouldn't understand some of the basic building blocks of algebra and their foundation would start to crumble as we got further and further along. I couldn't stop and hold up the entire class just so that those struggling would be able to catch up. I mean come on we had all these standards to cover and only 180 days to do it. So here were my goals that I wanted for my class. 

• Find a way that students could be more involved in their own learning.
• Provide course content in a way that each and every student had access to an equally excellent education.  (Think of those habitually absent students)
• Have each student show mastery in course content prior to moving on to the next objective. 

And here is my favorite part... why I love the flipped classroom and why I truly believe you should too!

• It has minimized distractions
• It allows the students the ability to review at any time
• Students learn at their own pace
• Advanced students can challenge themselves and students who typically struggle really seem to find a new confidence. 
• It has allowed me to differentiate my instruction much easier
• Students who used to be able to hide or would slip through the cracks can't do so in a flipped classroom. Everyone must be engaged.
• Student behavior is much better
• And more absolute #1 reason... Much more one on one time between myself and my students!

So there you have it my list of Why's I hope that this brief introduction has left you as excited to learn more as I am to share it with you! If you are ever in need of a refresher or get a little bit overwhelmed refer back to this list. I have many times and it always encourages me to keep going! 

Beyond the BakeSale: Guide to Family/School Partnership - Week #1

Well to say I'm excited would be an understatement. Even after just reading through the first chapter of Beyond the BakeSale I know this is going to be a revolutionary book for me.

I signed up for "PTcamp after a year of struggling with communication with my own child's school. After feeling left out of some critical information regarding his academic progress I asked myself if I was including my students parents in their education as much as I wanted to be included in his. Was I making their education a true partnership or taking it on as my sole responsibility?

To be honest I always assumed that my students parents didn't want to know or really didn't care. I am ashamed to say the number of times I have thought to myself "Why am I the only person accountable for these students education, their parents need to be involved," but I wasn't going out and making that happen. The authors of Beyond the BakeSale hit me like a ton of bricks "When families are engaged in positive ways, rather than labeled as problems, schools can be transformed from places where only certain students prosper to ones where all children do well" I want everyone of my students to do more than well I want them to EXCEL in whatever they choose! Why haven't I worked harder to reach out to the other people in their lives who want that as well!!! Can't wait to hear more about tools to do that!

Another key point in this introductory chapter that excited me was the concept that by bridging the gap between school and home we can show our students that we are united. I have always known in the back of my mind that if I could get the parents on my side when it comes to understanding my goals and expectations I would have an easier job getting buy in from the kids. I was just always so unsure how to go about it. Another reason why this book is hitting home for me.

Finally as I was reading through these first few pages I was hit with the realization that we as teachers have to be involved with the planning and execution of these parent/teacher events. It can't be something that the administration does just to check off another box (can you say PTL meetings that no teachers attend).

It was difficult for me not to read ahead but I really want to give each and every chapter it's due diligence. I am anxiously awaiting the feedback and thoughts from the others in the virtual book club on this chapter.  Follow us on twitter at #PTcamp

My Summer Reading List

Ok so I am shooting for the stars on this one.. wishful thinking that I can actually sit down to read not only a book but several! But each summer I like to at least set a goal to read some educational books along with one or two fun ones. Here goes...

Educational

1. Drive

2. Creating Innovators

Have you gotten on the Genius Hour bandwagon yet. These first two are books highly recommended by the creator of Genius Hour and I am really excited to read them. I have just read the first couple chapters of Drive and I really think it is going to change the way I look at incentives in my classroom.

3. Beyond the BakeSale: The Essential Guide to Family/School Partnerships

I will be reading this book in conjunction with a virtual summer book chat #PTcamp. Each week I will be blogging about a chapter along with participating in different online tools (Twitter, Voxer, ApprenNet) Lots more to come on this!

Just for Fun

1. Happy Happy Happy

 
Ok ok I know... my secret is out. I am a huge Duck Dynasty fan. I don't watch much TV at all but if I do turn on the TV I love to watch these guys. I love that they put family and faith above all and I could seriously laugh at their antics all day! Plus it is a show that my whole family enjoys and can watch together. My 14 year old son and I are having our own little book club with this one this summer!

2. 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

Who couldn't use a little more discipline in their life. I am definitely lacking in a few areas so I am going to use this quick read to get myself back on track with a daily quite time and fitness plan.

3. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

After going back to work last year with two little one's at home I realized that I can easily hit survival mode if I don't stay on top of things.  I am looking forward to reading this to help edge that off once school starts again!

Ok there you have it. I will be sure and blog my thoughts on each of the educational books once I am done and will include my "just for fun" books in a summer wrap up post!

What's on your summer reading list?

Ok so you can't make it to ISTE... Now What?

I admit it I have felt a little of the old green eyed monster of jealousy as I am seeing all the excitement people are sharing over twitter in preparation for the ISTE conference. Being a farmers wife has its advantageous that's for sure but summer travel isn't one of them. It is a little hard for me to just abandon my two little one's since their dad usually isn't in the door most evenings until 10:00 or so. That being said I am crazy jealous that I am going to miss out on all that technology, fellowship, and innovation and if you are like me you are feeling it too :) Here are a few ways to cope

1. Attend Virtually
If your like me and can't make it to Atlanta for whatever reason ISTE Live is for you. You will get to live stream the keynote as well as 5 of their other most popular sessions. You will then be able to at your leisure watch recorded archives of all ISTE 2014 sessions. It also includes several other perks such as live chats and post session interviews to help you feel like you are getting the full experience! At $219 it isn't cheap by any means but if you are like me and logistics was the problem this could help solve part of that.

2. Watch 2013 ISTE Conference
Did you know all of the sessions from 2013 are streaming online. Check them out, yes technology changes at the speed of light but I guarantee you will still pick up a few tie bits that will get your juices flowing! ISTE Playlist

3. Follow the Speakers
Use the ISTE Program as a map to creating your own PLN. All the speakers can be found on twitter and many of them will be sharing their resources there. If they are worthy enough to speak at ISTE they defiantly are a worthwhile twitter user to follow! It is amazing the information that these guys share through twitter!!! I have said it before and I will say it again Twitter really is one of the best ways to do professional development.

I hope I have in some way helped alleviate the pain of having to miss ISTE. Hopefully I will see you all there next year!

My Journey to the SunnySide

I like to refer to my classroom as the sunny side. For one because I hope it is always a bright cheery place for my students to go. Two because I have spent the last couple years teaching using the flipped classroom model, get it sunny side up... hehehe. We have an absolutely awesome Superintendent who truly believes that technology is a key to successfully educating our students. Because of his strong belief three years ago our school district was one of the first in our area to go 1:1 with the iPad being our tool of choice. I was lucky enough to get to go on visits to other districts where they were already using iPads. It was at one of these visits where I saw it... the flipped classroom in action! I had read about it and even researched it, but mostly in the science classroom (cue Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Samms). The whole drive home I couldn't even concentrate on driving, ask my fellow co-workers how many dirt roads we ended up on because I was daydreaming about flipping my classroom! That was the beginning of a whole new world for me... screen casting, mastery based learning, apps, podcasts, and tweets oh my! I had always enjoyed technology and considered myself ahead of the curve as I was already incorporating a lot of it in my class. But this day started my journey to "the sunny side" I hope you will join me here as I share my success and fails with the flipped classroom, apps that I love, and just my techy life in general. It is my goal that teachers who are looking to incorporate the flipped classroom can use this as a helpful tool in their own journey.