Back to School: 2013 edition

After nine whole 2013/14 school days with students, I can safely say that things are starting to "get normal."  Since I do employ a lot of structure in my classroom, teaching students about my classroom is as imperative as the new national standards into which we'll be diving.

Since I am at a new school, I'm particularly reflective about structure when it comes to adolescents, especially in light of technology and socioeconomic status.

At a former school, the free/reduced lunch rate was near 90% in the district.  Many parents had more than one job, worked horrible hours, and/or had multiple families living under the same roof.  For my students at that school, this meant that a family structure was not practiced.  Knowing this, I had to spend a great deal of time practicing classroom procedure and structure at the beginning of the year.  As the year went on and students became experts in classroom procedure, they rocked it.  The structure benefited them greatly.

When it comes to technology, students didn't have much.  Some of them had smartphones, but this wasn't a reliable situation.  Most didn't have computers or internet at home.  This meant that I had to set up a situation where students could get access to a computer in the classroom in the event they couldn't stay after school to gain access to the library computers.  To accommodate this, I actually built my own computer, brought it in, connected it to the school network, and let students use the teacher computer regularly.

At my new school, most students would likely be classified as middle class.  Almost 90% of students have access to some sort of device.  I still must teach classroom procedure, but many catch on more quickly since they are more likely to have had parents who set up procedures at home when they were young.  Since many students will fall into procedure quickly, this allows me to focus on students who do not, especially as the dust settles on the new year.

I'm excited to try some new things and I'm so pumped to be working with a crew of people who want to implement engaging practices into the classroom.  It feels like the perfect fit for me as a passionate educator.  I just can't wait to get settled and push myself to be an amazing educator so that my students are super stars.

Here are some of the things I've been able to implement as I start the 2013/14 school year:

• www.evansenglish.me: Students have open access to everything on this site. You do, too.  On this site, I will post daily assignments so that absent students may get their work.  Some students have been able to return to school without being behind because they could finish the work at home without infecting others with their illnesses.  This is also awesome for homeboud students (I already have at least one) because students may print off worksheets at home, get work done in class, and even watch demonstrations of methods we use in class.
• Remind101: As you may see on my site, students are able to subscribe to text updates; these updates may be links to the post for the day (which they can totally open on a smartphone), reminders to bring certain items to class, or even just quick "happy weekend" notes.  So far, it's working well.  I have about a 70% subscription rate.  Just a few of those may be parents.
• Digital Bell-Ringers: While I'm still in the beta practice with this (no assignments have counted as a grade), students have been participating in digital bell-ringers using a short-link to a Google Form.  I'm hoping to set this up so that students will eventually have to sign in with their school account so I can tie the answers to their names and give them grades for these.  I only do this a couple times a week at most.  I may search for an easier way to grade students on these days, but I do want the link to be the same for every event.  I look forward to fine-tooning this exercise.  
• Flipping: I've partially flipped a lesson. We started a text interaction activity in class; a demonstration was posted online and students were to use the demonstration to help them complete the rest of the assignment over the long weekend. Also, I've partially flipped notes.  I gave some notes in my class and required students to finish what we didn't get through in class.  This is nice for obvious reasons: Students don't want homework, so they may be encouraged to keep distractions down.  Students who wanted to finish the notes were able to log on to the website and watch the notes (complete with explanations) so they could get all the notes and not be held up by slower writers.

Here are some things I hope to implement fully as the year goes on:

• Independent Reading Activities: This will help students fill in free time when they finish early or feel they have nothing to do.  During any free time, students will read an independent book.  I'm hoping to develop some sort of reading challenge--something like this.
• Non-Fiction Fridays: This idea is courtesy of a current colleague; students are assigned a Friday to present a hot-topic article complete with analysis and will lead the class in a quick discussion.
• Self-Leading Projects: Students will lead some sort of independent project themselves.  One page on the website will provide directions and students will complete the work on their own time. 
• Google's 20% Time: I'd love to do this with my sophomores.  Doubt I'll get to it until the last quarter, but this could tie into the Self-Leading Projects, where students spend 20% of the week working on their own projects.  This could be a blog-based project or something else.  I'd love for it to be digital.  Tech literacy is so important.

So, there we have it: Beginning-of-the-year impressions.  It'll be interesting to see my end-of-year reflection. I look forward to seeing myself grow and to seeing how much my teenagers will mature throughout the year.

PS: I will also love it when my reputation is reestablished at this new location.  Mrs. Evans, for real, is known as tough but students say they learn a lot from her.  (I'm Mrs. Evans.)

Hiring Millennials.

Okay.  The 2012-2013 school year has finally ended.  As a wimpy girl not used to physical labor, the ten days of tugging on computer towers and manipulation of monitors wore me down. I believe I've recovered and I hope to get back to reflecting here.

One thing I want to mention is that I will assume a new position this fall, as a high school English teacher at Canal Winchester High School.  I'm excited for new opportunities and am very thankful for what I've learned so far as a teacher.

As I was seeking a new position and looking for a good fit for me, I began to think about my own strengths. I found an interesting infographic for you to consider if you may be trying to decide if you should hire a millennial applicant.

You'll find this graphic here.

I find it interesting to read about what others are saying about my generation's work habits; but it is also interesting to reflect on how these concepts can be applied to my teaching habits and practices, as many of my students are millennials, too.

This leads me to ask myself some questions:

1. How will the increasing percentage of millennials change the workplace? 
2. Will employers change their business practices to accommodate the strengths of millennials, or will millennials continue to struggle to fit into a workplace that doesn't fit them?
3. As a recent new hire, I know I was willing to take a cut in pay in order to find a better fit for myself.  I wonder if that will translate to lower pay for newly hired millennials in any field.
4. How can an employer be sure to provide a positive environment that will help keep millennials excited about their positions? 
5. How will millennials survive a workforce that is harsh compared to their high school and college experiences?
6. As an educator, how do I help perpetuate some of the challenges graduates face once they leave the workforce?  How can I properly prepare my students for the social challenges they will face?

What are your thoughts?

Flipping Lessons Class

Our neighboring district, Bexley City Schools, is hosting a training titled Blended Learning & Flipping Your Classroom/Lesson. The District Technology Director, Paul Ross, and the District Technology Coordinator, Scott Bushman are leading the classes and have graciously opened these classes, with the support of the district superintendent, to some nearby districts so our teachers can attend for free.  I am attending the six-session class and a colleague of mine is joining me.  That's right, we're on the buddy system.

If you're not sure what "flipping" a classroom is, check out this description from the Web 2.0 Classroom blog.

What is flipping? In is simplest form, flipping is the idea that instead of the teaching of basic skills in the classroom, those skills are acquired outside the classroom, mostly through the form of videos. Then this allows for more depth, remediation, and/or extension in the classroom. It is becoming very popular in math classrooms because of the ease of access to content through sites like Khan Academy and others. But there are other classrooms like science and social studies where teachers are trying the flip. 

We've had one class, so far, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  And it wasn't just because I will listen to anyone with an Australian accent speak for days straight with no complaint.

What I found to be a relief is that these two fellas discussed flipping lessons--not whole classrooms and not entire units.  One of the videos they shared presented the idea of starting off small, without flipping a whole class in one fell swoop.  It's possible I'm late to the discussion, but I had not heard anyone speak of just flipping lessons.  I had heard about flipping classrooms and flipping units, but not just lessons.

This concept of flipping one lesson instead of a whole unit or class will  make it easier to sell to teachers who we call "technology immigrants,"  (or, did I read somewhere that we shouldn't call them that anymore?)  since they can try flipping one lesson, take some reflection time and consider how to improve or refine their flipping process, and then try again with a concept they feel comfortable teaching. I love it when I see teachers trying to get out of their comfort zones in the area of classroom technologies.  I hope to be part of encouraging that one day.

We also discussed accessibility issues--primarily that there are still too many students who do not have a computer at home and some who do not have the internet.  It can be a bit frustrating for teachers who wish to create a flipped classroom but this is exactly why flipping lessons can be so beneficial.

Imagine your classroom; maybe most of your students do have a computer with internet at home.  However, if just 5% of your students don't have access to a computer with internet, those students would be at a disadvantage since they would not be able to go home and watch your lectures every night.  Sure, there are local libraries, but I know I have students who are babysitters for their siblings every night.

Flipping a lesson, as opposed to a whole class, would make this easier; if students in your room were given a week to watch a lecture or other video you want to share with them, they would be more likely to find access to internet at some point during the week.  On top of that, you can offer any extra classroom computers during lunch or other free time for students to use to watch consume your content.  Over the course of the week, students who have many opportunities to complete the assignment will do so.  But wait, there's more: If students have access to smart devices, or have friends who will lend them a smart device for a moment, most of these videos can be viewed on such devices.  And, for the sake of accessibility, teachers can create videos that are compatible with various devices.

Still not convinced?  Let's say those students do not consume your content.  What now?

The idea is that the classroom time will not usually be a boring test, but an engaging discussion, activity, or project.  One that students would be disappointed to miss.  Instead of participating, students will use class time to view the video and would either complete an alternative assignment or come late to the learning party.

I'm game.  Let's do this! I look forward to our next meeting, which is next week.

Until then...

Paperless Classrooms: Slower to arrive

When I was in first grade, I distinctly remember my teacher saying that we would have paperless classrooms by the time we graduated from high school.  I was in awe of what the future could hold for me.

I'm glad she wasn't getting paid for her fortune-telling abilities.

Unfortunately, it seems difficult to predict where technology will take us and the time frame in which we can expect progress to happen.  We have Moore's Law, which could provide a guideline for how quickly computer processors and memory sticks are available for purchase at a faster speed.  The law states that every 18 months to a year, the number of transistors on integrated circuits will double.  This law has been applied to processor speed, memory size, and even megapixels on camera sensors and more.  But this law doesn't explicitly tell us what technologies will emerge, how they will be used, or how helpful they will be.  We can, however, garner that newer technologies will be able to run faster and, perhaps, multi-task at a greater level.

This is my seventh year as a teacher.  I can say that these paperless classrooms are reality for some and closer to reality for others.  I have implemented paperless classrooms per Ms. Ryder's prediction in my classroom.  

Our school uses Google Apps for Education.  I love it.  Google Apps allows students and teachers to create Microsoft Office-style documents (like Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and pictures).  These documents are created, maintained, and stored online--in the cloud.  Students have enjoyed peer reviewing using the comments feature on a doc and I have used a Google Form (think: "survey") to give and grade student quizzes.  My classroom doesn't feel very traditional at least three days out of the week. I'd like to do more, but we are limited in our technology access.

Some schools use learning management systems (LMS) that allow students to receive work electronically and, in most cases, complete assignments electronically.  These systems provide something very close to paperless classrooms.  I'm working on putting together two projects that students will complete using Schoology, an LMS a few colleagues of mine in my building use for full time instruction.

I've also used a few different digital response systems to garner student engagement and discussions.  These are no-threat, which will sometimes allow even the shyest of students to add their two cents or give me feedback concerning if they have grasped the concepts taught that day.

I've used Wiffiti.  Wiffiti is pretty cool and you may have seen them at conferences. Wiffiti creates virtual boards and collects tweets and other responses.  These responses will bounce in and out of the main view of the board.  Check out the one I just whipped up.

My students use their mobile devices to respond to their multiple-choice bell-ringers each day.  We use Poll Everywhere for this.  I show the students the class-wide count of answers using the graph.  I'm still sort of experimenting with this concept.  I cannot tie answers to particular students, but I do like the no-risk aspect of the response system.  I'm not sure if students will continue answering if they know their participation is not linked to their course grade.  If participation wanes too much, I'll have to search for another option.

These tools and others have helped me move toward the paperless classroom of my dreams.  I find that paper is such a burden to me, as I am an expect at organizing myself digitally, but not so much in the paper realm.  I'm really looking forward to continuing to work toward technology advancement in my district so that students can gain more exposure to the digital world and so that I can thrive as a Millennial educator.

Shout out to Ms. Ryder: You had the most beautiful hair I've ever seen, even to this day of my life.  Despite that bit of time when I didn't seem to care about my education, I have progressed to a scholar and I thank you for the foundations you helped build for me as a thinker, counter, writer, and reader.

Are You a Millennial?

More than anything, being a Millennial is about behavior--not just birth year.  In fact, some theorize that the next generation has been born.  Time will tell.
But maybe you are an undercover Millennial.
Take this survey to find out just how Millennial you are.  This poll is conducted by the Pew Research Center.  Pew Research Center is a non-partisan fact tank.  Check out more about them here.  They are also on Twitter.

I scored an 86.

I'm totally from a conservative background and I was born in the earlier part of the Millennial birth years. According to the webpage, I could be more Millennial if I had a tattoo or two and had piercings somewhere besides my ear lobes.
Oh well.  This is as Millennial as I get. :)
What was your Millennial score?

The Millennial Teacher: The inaugural post

My name is Rebecca and I am a millennial.

It's a confession.  It's a condition.  But I am not in recovery.  I am embracing this condition.  And trying to be contagious.

The first step to creating this blog was to learn to spell the word: millennial.  I'm a first generation spell-check graduate.  Why do we have two "n"s in that word, anyway?

I digress.

As a teacher, millennialness has its downsides.  But it can be wonderful.

Millennial teachers are passionate, collaborative, innovative teachers who are leading classrooms in the quest to prepare students for the new world.  The same one Christopher Columbus discovered except completely different.  Millennial teachers will push the envelope to get students thinking outside the newest box.  We have students who will create, innovate, and collaborate during the next generation.  We solve problems.  We are efficient, creative, social.

Millennial teachers are determined, having faced an economy where jobs were a dream-come-true and careers seemed to be as evasive as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  We survived school reform, standardized testing experiments, and principals who had their paddles taken away from them suddenly and without warning.  Millennial teachers want change and you want our vote.

Millennials are young--born after 1980.  But don't hold that against us.

My name is Rebecca and I am a millennial teacher.