FEARLESS IN FIRST

via GIPHY When choosing a book to focus on for the book study, I was really drawn to Classroom Management in the Digital Age by Heather Dowd and Patrick Green. This book discusses ways to set up, organize, and use digital tools in the classroom. This is something all teachers can use. I can remember sitting in elementary school and for computer time I would insert a floppy disk into the drive and play Oregon Trail. via GIPHY Raise your hand if you remember that! The world of technology has changed dramatically since the days of floppy disks and bulky desktops. While new technology can bring fun ideas and integration it is not without its challenges. It is important for teachers to embrace technology but also utilize it in a way that is efficient, effective, and conducive to learning. In order for students to be successful with technology in the classroom it needs to be managed with procedures, rules, expectations, and creative strategies used by the teacher to engage them and help th...

  via GIPHY   WHY? Seems like a pretty simple question. I mean students ask it several times a day. They expect an answer to be given when they ask. So why is it so hard for teachers to ask and answer this simple question?            Low test scores are something that no teacher ever wants to see from students after a test even though it is inevitable. Some students are going to fail. While this is not the goal of education or any teacher, it happens. However, do we ever stop to ask ourselves WHY? Why did this student or these students score so low on my test or standardized test? Teachers need to really look at and analyze the data but also know the students. The good, the bad, and even the ugly. There are many  factors that can contribute to low test scores. Test anxiety, learning disabilities, attendance, poor attitude, home life, or teaching can all be reasons that students score low on tests. The latter of the possible reasons is pr...

via GIPHY Creating digital videos is not something that I have had much experience with. So when given this assignment, I found it rather daunting. However after spending time in the process it produced a rewarding experience. Digital videos have the potential to be a great tool for arguments. Petit states , “ it engages learners in viewing and showing, communicating through sounds and visuals, and combining resources to create meanings” (2020). Creating meaning is so very important. You engage people when you create buy-in. If they know the purpose of the video and feel drawn to the topic, then you will have captured your audience through effective media.  THE ORIGINAL In my first introduction video, my target audience were my colleagues that are taking the same class. It was an introduction video and that was about it. I did not include any design elements. It was just my face with my lips moving in front of my phone camera. BORING RIGHT? Now if I showed this to my students and ...

via GIPHY Imagination....A lost art?   We took our youth to Orr park last night in Montevallo, AL and while partaking in a scavenger hunt one student saw some small holes in the ground and asked what those were. I proceeded to tell her that it was for catching jacks. Several students looked at me as if I were crazy and asked “how do you do that”? As I stood there kind of shocked, I saw several youth with their phones out and I realized they truly had no clue of what I was talking about. I asked the kids to put their phones away and I showed them how to catch them. The point is that some kids in today's world do not know how to have fun or use their imagination due to the lack of outdoor playtime and socialization. This is mostly due to the rise in technology accessibility and usage. Kids, teenagers, and even young adults would rather stay inside to play video games, watch TikTok videos, or use their phones to access social media. Countless hours are spent behind a screen instead of...

   In a technology driven world, students are motivated by the latest and greatest technology. Our world has evolved dramatically from just sending an email or writing an essay. Students have technology readily available and it is changing everyday. Blogging, texting, and online gaming chat forums are just a few of the platforms that engage students today. As we integrate technology in the classroom, we should immerse our learners into the world of digital writing. Androutsos and Brinia (2019) state “in the current education system, creativity, and innovation are not valued enough, while failure is stigmatized”. Students should not be afraid to fail or make mistakes. The motto in my classroom is “mistakes are how we learn”. We need to tap into our students' creativity and use what they already know about technology to grow our students.  The art of the writing process is essential for delivering a published piece of writing in a traditional way, we can apply that to our d...