debor002

     On Monday of this week our second round of report cards went home and officially kicked-off spring Parent-Teacher Interview week. Being that we are a K-12 school, our K-7 teachers scheduled and organized their own meetings which ran throughout the week. In the 8-12 end, our school secretary scheduled our meetings for us which were primarily held on Thursday after school and Friday during school-hours (there were no classes on Friday).      Compared to the 30+ interviews I had first semester, this round was a breeze with only 20. I think last semester I had a lot of interviews because I was new to the staff and hadn't had an opportunity to meet very many families yet. As such, I found that many of my interviews were quite formal. This time around, my interviews were much more relaxed and comfortable.      While last semester I reflected on the content of my interviews , I never shared any pictures of how I set up for i...

     After two weeks of battling bronchitis-like symptoms* I am finally feeling better and this week felt like a fresh start! (*I have no idea if I actually had bronchitis because I couldn't get into the doctors office). Not only did I hit the ground running in regards to my lesson plans and classroom activities, but our report cards were due for review this Friday as they go home with students this upcoming Monday. Thank goodness I was feeling better because this week definitely had some stressful moments, but two things that I think went well this week were: 1 ) Finding Fun Learning Opportunities That My Students DON'T Want to Quit - My Grade 9 Science class is currently at the beginning of their   chemistry unit and this week we were introduced to the Periodic   Table. As a short-review I planned an "I Spy" game that I found   from a friend where students have to spy the appropriate element   on their Periodic Table. - For example, "I Spy ...

     On Friday my Grade 8 class held their first Science Fair after working diligently over the past three weeks. After a very long first unit on Cells & Systems (I was getting used to teaching Science!) we moved on to our unit on Fluids at the start of January. As a summative assessment, I decided to have my students organize, plan, and administer individual science experiments that would then be showcased with a Science Fair (an event that our school does not formally have). Not only would this serve as a summative assessment for our unit, but it would also allow me to incorporate many of our Cluster 0  outcomes!      Having never participated in or attended  a Science Fair (with the exception of serving as a judge for a local Science Fair while in university), I was very hesitant in regards to where to start. After a quick Google Search, however, I found an awesome Science Fair Planning package put together by Lora Holt . N...

     This week actually represented my shortest teaching week on record due to extracurricular activities, meetings, and illnesses. - Tuesday was our Grade 7-12 Ski Trip to a downhill ski hill   approximately 2 hours away (a gorgeous day where I got to   snowboard with my students!) - Wednesday I attended a meeting at our Division Office - Thursday I had my first sick day all year after battling   bronchitis-like symptoms for almost two weeks As such, I feel like I wasn't able to accomplish much this week. I am hoping to hit the ground running on Monday, however, as spring break is only a few short weeks away! Two things that I think went well this week were: 1 ) Holding my First Ever Science Fair! - For the past three weeks my Grade 8 Science students have   been working on independent science fair projects for our   unit on Fluids (pressure, density, buoyancy, viscosity). While   I've never participated in a Science Fair or h...

      Free #EdTech - Apps For Your Class is a sporadic posting I do every time I find a neat new app that is not only being offered FREE (for a limited time) but that is also educational and could serve a purpose in your classroom.      While no longer free, last sessions app: King of Maths: Full Game , is still awesome and I recommend you check it out! Today I've found: Fun Slides I think this photography app would be a easy and fun tool for students to create fast presentations! It allows users to: - Upload pictures from their picture library or take new pictures - Add transitions - Input voice-overs - Add music from their database or from your music library - Add text - Share through email, Facebook, or YouTube easily! Regular $0.99 , now FREE till tomorrow  Fun Slides Screenshot. (2014). Uploaded to iTunes by Entappie. Available online at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/funslides-make-hd-video-from/id535732980?mt=8

     This post is inspired by the stories at the collaborative blog, One Good Thing. - On Friday we were having a work period in one of my classes   where students were given time to work on completing projects.   During these periods I often have music playing and one of my   students began dancing to the song. In response I had one student   look up from a project, chuckle, and mumble, "You are so weird".   Without missing a beat the student replied with a huge smile on   her face, "I'm being myself, I love this song and I love to dance...   so I'm going to dance!"   I was so overwhelmed by her confidence and self-assurance that   it wasn't long before myself and several other students were dancing   in the classroom too.      What good things happened in your week?

     I haven't reflected formally through a "2 Stars & A Wish" post in quite some time and it is something that I would like to get back into. While I've spent a lot of time reflecting informally throughout my lessons, at the end of the day, etc I feel like I benefit more when I take the time to write out my thoughts and get feedback from those around me. As such, two things that I think went well this week were: 1 ) Having my Gr 8 Students Pass 3,000 Pageviews on Their Blog! - My Grade 8 students have been blogging in both science and math since   September and I couldn't be more pleased with their progress in regards   to reflecting on their learning, asking open-ended questions, developing   their PLN, and developing a better understanding of digital citizenship. - While I try to not make their blog stats a big focus point of this project,   we do keep track of our pageviews and enjoy checking out our audience   map (they've had v...

     Last week I was pleasantly surprised to receive a link to a blog post written about... me! Before I go further, I should provide some context.      Last month, I had the opportunity to present via Skype for Brandon University's Internet for Educators class (a class which only one year ago I was a student in). I shared my experiences regarding the integration of technology into my classroom as well as the successes and challenges that have arisen from my ideas.      Mr. Nantais, the professor of the course, has all of his students maintain a blog sharing their learning and one of his students, Katelyn, wrote about me! To see Katelyn's post, please visit her blog, " Old Dog Trying To Learn Some New Tricks ". Old Dog Trying To Learn Some New Tricks Screenshot. (Accessed on 2014). Uploaded to BlogSpot. Available online at: http://kderemiensict.blogspot.ca/2014/02/edublogger-miss-ls-whole-brain-teaching.html   ...

    I follow a lot of blogs... blogs written by educators... blogs written by administrators.... blogs written by friends/family... but one of my favourite blogs to see pop up in my Feedly account is One Good Thing. This collaborative blog, is a space where educators share stories of good things from their day.      Teaching is a profession that can leave you overwhelmed, exhausted, and questioning if you are doing anything right. As this blog states, however, "Every day may not be good, but there is one good thing in every day". I love reading the stories from other educators and have been inspired to share my own version of "one good thing". Each Sunday, I'd like to reflect on the previous week and share some good things: - I have a student who started with us two weeks after Term Two began.   This student has only attended 2 days since I've met them, is terribly shy,   and I've been swamped trying to figure out how to keep them ...

     March is here which means my first year of teaching is officially over half way done! I can't believe how fast the year is going by and I know that it will only continue to fly by. In most years, March would mean warmer temperatures and the start of melting snow as we near the end of the month. This winter, however, seems to be much more severe than anything I can remember and I doubt that winter will let up at all this month! Here is what March started as for us: Yes, you're reading that right, "Feels Like -49 Celcius" or -56 Fahrenheit   The beautiful roads on the way to school! Our 4x4 truck couldn't get through the drifts, we had to walk home in -40 Celcius! Brrrrr If you haven't encountered a " Currently " post before, it is just a fun post at the beginning of each month that serves as a way to share what is  Currently  going on in your life! You can link up and share your own " Currently " post by visiting the wonderful  Farley ...