Dragons Den: ABC's About Me

Attended a women's college, Mount St. Mary's College
Born in San Diego in 1980
Carries my iPad almost everywhere I go
Drives forty minutes to and from work every day because I live in Santee
Earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology this year
Figures out how to do things on my own instead of reading directions
Gets migraine headaches from chocolate and a few other foods
Has three siblings: Nathan, Noland, and Nycole
Indulges in queso dip when dining out
Joins students for lunch when possible
Keeps old notes, emails, and letters from loved ones
Loves teaching at San Pasqual Academy
Meets friends after work to socialize
Notices more things about my students than they realize
Owns three brown dogs, a black cat, and a gray hamster
Played volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school
Quit using paper in my classroom last August
Rarely arrives on time, but I'm working on it 

Sells vintage items on eBay and Etsy 

Taught at my alma mater, Mountain Empire Jr/Sr High
Used to work at Girl Scout Summer Camps, Whispering Oaks and Winacka
Volunteers to do more than I have time to complete
Wears clothes and accessories that are older than I am whenever possible
X-ercises by walking and jogging with my dogs
Yells with excitement at Chargers and Dragons games
Zooms in on a few people instead of having a ton of superficial friends 

Eerrt! U-Turn!

I changed my mind. This blog is no longer inteneded to share my edtech learning. I tried that. I avoided my blog. It was not me. From now on, my posts will be written to my hard-working freshmen and sophomore students. Feel free to unsubscribe or keep reading.

Glogster Mini Portfolio for Ashford

Well, I officially labeled myself "old" today.  I had to make a Glogster Glog as one of my final assignments for Ashford.  Now, I expect my students to produce these often, but I had a sudden urge to scream to them for help as I began it.  Fortunately, I figured it out but I know my students could have produced a much better Glog.  Humble pie is always nice.  It's also a strong reminder to not take my little tech rockstars for granted.   

Click here to view my Glog in Glogster.

Student Reviews of "Switch" by Playwrights Project

Click here to take the blog jog!

My Research Project Brainstorm

Romeo & Juliet with Google 4 Video - Who’s in?

During CUE, Valentin and I attended a Google 4 Video session by Jim Sill. We agreed that we would both like to have our students create videos using the strategies Sill introduced. What if we create one project/assignment and have all of our students, in our different classrooms, complete it?

In the past, my students have created videos, puppet shows, and performed plays summarizing Romeo and Juliet. Each small group of students adapted the play to a different style, such as western or modern New York. Since the text is extremely challenging due to the kids’ reading levels, I normally have them watch and discuss the 1970’s video in small segments. They also read and reenact the most important scenes in class.

Currently, I imagine us creating a collaborative lesson plan using a Google Site sometime within the next few weeks. I plan to teach the entire unit—watching the movie and creating the videos—during April 11-29. This falls within the testing window, but in years past it was easy for the kids to work on the performances during testing since they normally need more work time than structured lessons. However, I can be flexible.

So, are you interested in joining me to collaboratively create a Romeo and Juliet video lesson plan?

Adult Proofread from Germany

When I ask my students to get an adult to proofread their writing, the adults are never mom or dad. I work on a residential campus for foster youth. Translation: my students have all been taken away from their families or abandoned, so they now live at a group home/boarding school. Since transitioning to a paperless classroom, I have modified my writing process to include an online adult proofread. Before I could even suggest it, one of my sophomores exceeded my expectations by having a family member edit her writing online.

Normally, my students ask their house parents, tutors, staff, or other teachers to proofread their work. Before I changed the paper proofreading handout to a Google form, I required my students to get an adult signature. Now, the adults can view the paper in a shared Google Doc or on a house computer, follow a Google form guide, and verify their work by providing the time and location of the proofread.

Chanda took it one step further. Since her supportive older sister’s husband is stationed in Germany, Chanda publishes her writing on her blog, adds her sister as a writer, and allows her to make corrections. She figured this out on her own. I am impressed and can’t wait to see what will happen when Chanda teacher her sister to use a shared Google Doc. (Please read and comment on Chanda's essay on her blog.)

My classroom walls are falling down.
My students are one-step ahead of me.
It’s working.