For the first time, and armed with the best of intentions, I will be maintaining a Class Blog, to push me to communicate more regularly with parents and other stakeholders as well as to share more of my students’ ongoing learning as the year unfolds. A website I regularly follow, Te@ch Thought, is conducting a September blogging challenge for teachers; I have decided to begin there.
Today’s Blog Challenge prompt asks me to present my goals for this year. Inasmuch as I have spent the greater part of the summer thinking about this very topic, it is time to put thoughts into words– into action. I have two personal goals to facilitate my ONE BIG GOAL for YOUR CHILDREN: May we all learn and grow as much as we can in our time together. The two ways that I will work to make this happen are: 1) improve the way I conduct conferences, particularly reading conferences, including better record-keeping, and 2) introduce tech tools that empower the students to undertake challenging work and succeed.
To that end, it is most important that each eighth grader create a g-mail account if he or she has not yet done so. I encourage the business-like address format: first initial.lastname.bes@gmail.com. We will be working in Google Drive OFTEN! This tool is particularly valuable for collaboration and for keeping track of student work in all its stages.
In addition, each eighth grader will become a member of this class blog: Our Class Blog: Wordswork. In March, the students will complete a blogging challenge that will allow them to connect with a global audience. Until that time, they will be commenting on the reading they are doing, or sharing reflections about their learning, as well as familiarizing themselves with blog features. Because you will have access to their posts, you will become part of their audience. I urge you to follow us on our journey and comment.
Over the summer, I became a teacher-facilitator for a web tool called “Class Owl.” The sole purpose for using this phone app is that it allows students to see all homework assignments, as well as any necessary related and/or linked information, in one place–their phones. They can also ask questions about anything they find confusing, and I can respond quickly without the hassle of e-mail (which I don’t always check in time to help students on-the-spot). The students will receive an email invitation, allowing them access. This is an on-phone homework agenda and something I am trying for the first time, for Class Owl, yes, but mainly because I see it fulfilling a need for students who struggle with daily agendas.
Finally, at least for now, the students in grades 6-8 will be creating individual online portfolios to store artifacts from this year in all subject areas. These portfolios will be theirs to have and develop in their academic lives beyond BES should they so choose. More about this will follow. Obviously all that we do as we explore a hybrid model of electronic and hard-copy classroom requires ongoing attention to digital citizenship, an emphasis that will continue throughout the year. I have included a link to Common Sense Media, so you can peruse the site that will provide much of the instructional curriculum we will be using.
This is September 1! Happy Labor Day.