Well, embarrassingly, this is my first post in a long time... possibly all school year long! I made the lofty decision to embark on a master's degree in Learning Design and Technology while also taking some course to add a High Ability endorsement to my teaching license. To make a (very) long story short, I have been busy. 😅
Things have also changed in my job; our school will no longer have a High Ability block. Instead, there will be one HA Language Arts teacher and one HA Math teacher. We will each be pulling groups of identified kids for High Ability instruction (two groups of 5th graders and two groups of 6th graders). It'll be my first time teaching 6th grade 😬 but I know these kids from teaching them last year, so I'm really looking forward to it!
I'm blessed to continue our journey with the Chromebooks for each student as part of the 1-to-1 pilot program (check out #ccspilot on Twitter!). Last year, we created some really awesome learning opportunities using our devices, and I'm using this summer to recharge and investigate more tools to use in this upcoming school year. Check out this slightly inappropriate documentary on Al Capone (please ignore the murders, gangs, alcohol, and STDs 😳):
My favorite part about having Chromebooks available during instruction is the ability to differentiate. I can tailor lessons to specific student needs without teaching three separate lessons. Also, students can avoid boredom and wasting time by having meaningful activities to do when they finish class work. Instead of just silent reading (still a great alternative), students can research or explore topics they have an interest in.
The integration of technology into our classroom has changed student engagement and motivation. I hope to continue capitalizing on this important tool in the future. I hope to have a little more time to blog this upcoming year, so check back for more updates!
