Just Starting Out

August 14th will be the start of my tenth year teaching second grade. I can't believe it! When reflecting on my teaching career and thinking back to my first year teaching, it seems like just yesterday. I remember feeling nervous and excited, wanting to provide my students with the best resources and most engaging lessons. I was so worried about doing the best job I could. I also remember feeling overwhelmed. In a technology driven world, there are so many options, endless opportunities! How would I ever decide what worked for me and my classroom? I remember stumbling on a few great teacher blogs that were full of great tips, resources, and ideas. Those blogs led to other blogs and soon I found my way to TeachersPayTeachers and various teacher groups on social network sites. Many of them, I still use today.

This is my attempt to pay it forward. I have participated as a consumer of information for these past ten years. All the while, I have barely contributed or taken part in the conversations on the blogs and sites I've used. Previously, I didn't feel confident that I had a lot to share or helpful things to say. But now, I think it's time to take action. Time to build my digital footprint and share what I find along the way!

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Hands-On Activities Using Seesaw

Have you ever used Seesaw before? In my classroom, we utilize Seesaw a lot! I find it to be very user friendly and my second graders can easily upload their work, then use the Seesaw app to add another layer of learning. When learning about arrays and the differences between rows and columns, students use manipulatives to create their own array. This is the easy part and they are usually excited to get out the Legos, hashtag blocks, small erasers, and any other small items they can use to create. Once they have made an array out of the items of their choosing, they grab an iPad and use it to take a photograph in Seesaw. If you are new to Seesaw, on the main page when anyone logs in, there is a large, green plus sign. After clicking on this, the user has choices. Users can add a photo, drawing, video, notes they've typed, a link, or upload files, photos, or videos. Once my students used the "photo" option to take a picture, they could click on a microphone on the ...

E-Reading with Epic

I am forever looking for new resources that will put books in my students hands and give them more choice. When I stumbled upon Epic! I felt like I hit the jackpot! Epic! is an app and website that is free for teachers to setup memberships and logins for their class. It is a digital library of books, videos, and quizzes. One wonderful aspect about Epic! is the availability of books that students and teachers know and love! There are award-winning books, graphic novels, and so many series that are dependable and engaging. At the younger level, many of the books have read-me options, too! When students login, it keeps track of which books they've read, time spent reading, and gives them badges and points for progress. This is a great app worth checking out! You can download the app or find the website at https://www.getepic.com/

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