Day 3 - DENSI2015

Today was our first day of breakout sessions.
I focused on green screening with DoInk! +Dave Tchozewski  is a talented presenter, but the knowledge is the room :).  For more information on the application of green screening in the classroom and a super easy app to use, click here.

Using the DoInk! app, Lisa, Sandy, Marianna and myself created this three leveled video -- check it out.
https://youtu.be/OWbyDSumlRQ




+Jannita Demian   presented the updates coming to the SOS Strategies from Discovery Education!  Teachers requested and the DEN provided!  They make us our best selves if only we will let them!  For more information on SOS and video examples on how to use them in YOUR classroom - click here.

Discovery Education

My last session was presented by the DENmazing Dennis Grice (follow him, find him, learn from him).  Dennis presented six ways to show your learning without traditional formative assessments but more effective strategies.  Check out the app for YAKiT  to make any photo talk as just one of the ways students can come out of their shells and let alter egos do the talking for them!







AND THEN .... This happened!

The Feelin' Groovy DENmazing Race Team had a BLAST completing ten stations that required us to work together and encouraged us to work quickly.  All along the way we learned how to use new apps, skill building tasks, science properties, and each others individual talents to be successful!  

A special thank you to Sonja Fehlmann for a DENmazing job on our team shirts!  You rock!  Proceeds to benefit the Purple Feet Foundation!

I encourage you to get to know this foundation and their purpose - and then I encourage you to support them.

Day 2 - DENSI2015 - DC

TODAY WAS PHENOMENAL!
Okay - so today may not have been entirely about pedagogy, best practices, or data analysis - but it was what makes all that stuff work!  Building relationships with colleagues, networking, making connections, and being POSITIVE! For almost 20 hours straight on 4 hours of sleep I have been going nonstop and the energy has fueled me and everyone around me with endurance, tenacity, and perseverance!   Not to mention we got to see a lot of amazing historical sights.  I will keep this short and simply post some of the best photos from today.  If you see a little gnome (Gnomee) in some of the pictures - I was fortunate enough to be his keeper.  He even helped introduce me to a few really nice DC cops!  (No we didn't go for a ride!)
Enjoy the photos and feel free to offer feedback!

Thanks!

World War II Memorial

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The White House

The Washington Monument

Albert Einstein 

Nice Washington Police Officers :)

The Metro Rail

The Smithsonian National Museum of History

Korean War Veterans' Memorial

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

Veterans' Memorial

You can always find more photos and more about me on Facebook!

Day 1 - DENSI2015 - Washington, DC

As I begin this blog, it is hard for me to form the words that would convey the emotion that I have felt here today - really, this evening and night.  After a 6 hour drive from Trinity, NC ... I met some of the most wonderful people that have ever walked this planet.  Personal heroines and heroes that I have only heard of by name (in emails and videos or podcasts).  I met some new people as well! Marianna and Katie became fast friends as we began to figure out how to connect our Bluetooth from the cell to the selfie stick!  (note - don't hold boxes and do this - it will block your face!)
Some other great gifts were a washcloth, DENSI2015 t-shirt, water bottle (really nice!) and a cool accessories pouch with chargers and earbuds!  

No mater where you're going - don't forget the e essentials.  It is summer in DC and you will need to stay hydrated.  My one piece of advice - when toting this case of 28 .5 liter bottles back from the parking garage - stay out of your own thoughts and don't miss the turn back to the dorm you are staying in!  That was my DENfit workout for the evening!

  

That is a 'healthy glow' :-) 

Better to see them from above than below!

As we ate dinner - to commemorate shark week - there was a definite shark attack on the loose!  My team leader - Brandon (@OCTechNet) was in the lead.  He later interviewed me for the DENZONE podcast!


To see it happen in slow motion --
Click HERE!

Porter Palmer (@DENprincess)  and Patti Duncan (@yoyosciteach) have contributed so much and give the best hugs!

Pictures are more fun with your mouth open!

And - since  this is an educational blog - here is the biggest nugget of the day.  I got to meet Trace Dominguez in REAL LIFE! He was an amazing speaker and an incredible life long learner.  His advice - never stop asking questions!  Check out some of his work here at DNews - they have over 20 programs that you can use!  They are entertaining and educational!  Super super super impressed by this guy! You can follow him +Trace Dominguez .

Seriously - Check out his work and what DNEWS has to offer for your family or in your classroom!

Parent Communication

Greetings!
In order to begin sharing the things that I find useful, exciting, and altogether posting worthy for a classroom teacher, this is my first blog.  Thank you for taking the time to read/follow me, and - my ultimate hope is that you will find something useful that you can use to help make a positive impact in your students' lives, or in the lives of your own children.

In today's busy times - no one wants to take the time to read a newsletter, let alone type one up.  So - the way to keep parents and invested parties abreast of the current events in the classroom I have found a couple of great and easy apps!


1)  Remind :  Remind is a super easy app to use.  If you can text, you can Remind.  Simply have students' families download the app and then join using your unique class code.   This is a great way to send reminders to parents for Picture Day, field trip deadlines, or celebrations within the classroom.

* Administrators - you can use Remind to surprise staff members with a jean's day or altered hours to building access due to inclement weather!



2) Class Dojo: Class Dojo takes the teacher and the parents/guardians to a whole new level of being able to 'check in' on their student's behavior during the day.  Data is instant, reports are user friendly, and students love working towards personal goals in earning points for positive behavior and teacher set goals.  Invested parties would join your class using a unique code and from the app on their phones can not ONLY check on their children's daily progress, but also safely text message the teacher and the teacher can safely text message the parents without phone
numbers ever being exchanged!