#MTBoSBlaugust - Reflecting on Week 1

Y'all, I'm tired...

We started back to school on Monday in a Distance Learning format, so here's our schedule:

Monday - Odd hours are synchronous / Even hours are asynchronous
Tuesday - Even hours are synchronous / Odd hours are asynchronous

Wednesday - All classes are asych ; teachers have "office hours"

Thursday - same as Monday

Friday - same as Tuesday

However, you are only required to be synchronous once a week, but since I teach AP, I'm requiring both days, although it may be for a short check-in instead of a lesson.

Speaking of lessons... here are some of the lessons I've learned so far:

Lesson #1:  Distance Learning lessons take 5 times as long to create and much less time for the students to complete than a traditional lesson

Y'all, I know that I often personally identify with "perfection is the enemy of good" because I am a perfectionist and I'm really particular about how things look and how my lessons flow.  As a result, I struggle to #pushsend and commit to the actual lesson.  On the up-side, I've had some great feedback from students about how much they appreciate the organization and structure.  One other side-effect I've noticed is that without the classroom discussion, my lessons take way less time for students to complete...

Lesson #2:  Invest in a larger monitor

Our main computer is a Surface Pro and y'all, I'm just way too old for a 12" monitor!  LoL!  Thankfully, we had a spare 24" monitor at home, which makes a HUGE difference for these old eyes.  I'm now able to split my screen while presenting in a Google Meet and able to see my students AND my presentation!  Woot!  I know a lot of people do dual monitors, but I've never been able to adjust to them :(

Lesson #3:  "Wait Time" is way different in Distance Learning

I'll admit that I've never been great at wait time, but it is a whole new ball game with Distance Learning.  I've actually had the best success by asking students for thumbs up / down, but when I ask a question, I want to be respectful for anyone that might be typing an answer into the chat (which takes longer), OR that kids are really nervous about unmuting to talk and accidently talking over someone else.

Lesson #4:  The kids are great and I'm super glad to be on this journey with them

Granted, I've not had a ton of interaction with them yet, but the kids have been so very respectful of each other and of online classroom norms.  They almost always keep themselves muted yet still willing to engage using thumbs up / down or the chat feature.  Their responses on their lessons have been fabulous and I can't keep up with them to be honest! :)  I've heard so many times about this group of kids being behind, but I really think there will be very positive side-effects with regard to giving grace and extending patience and understanding to those around them.  They recognize the extreme effort that their teachers are making to create engaging content and seem very appreciative.

Lesson #5:  Desmos is a lifesaver

OMG, can I sing the praises of Desmos from the rooftops?  I simply cannot imagine life with Desmos.  Desmos allows me to create an async (or even sync) lesson that flows similar to what I would do in class, so I think it will provide a wonderful transition back to the classroom.  

My big take-away from Distance Learning so far...

There is a part of me that really appreciates being back in my classroom and the structure / routine of my workplace being different from my home.  I am so very appreciative of how much I've learned already and how this is pushing me to be a better teacher.  But I will admit that I really miss the energy of having 30 teenagers in my classroom, chatting with me about the things they love and asking questions as we learn new content.  I miss the hustle and bustle of the hallways, of game days, of rushing to get to class on-time due to the size of our campus.  It's really awkward to talk to a screen of postage stamp size photos and they are all silent because they are muted out of respect for their classrooms.  I'm really hopeful our numbers go down soon so we can get back to that "new normal".  I already love this group of kiddos and I can't wait to get to know them in person!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Lesson Planning in a Pandemic

School starts tomorrow, y'all!!

But it's going to be so weird.  I don't have a pretty new outfit, I won't be helping lost kiddos find their classroom, I won't have tired feet at the end of the day.

But I'm really excited to finally get the first day over!

That sounds weird, I know...  But this whole year has been weird.

For weeks (months?), I've fretted about the first day.  I've changed my lesson plans so many times.  For the first time in probably 10 years, I'm not doing my standard killer nurse lesson for day 1.  My lesson plans have been written on scrap pieces of paper and sticky notes.  I've copied and pasted more Desmos screens than I can keep up with.  I've fought and wrestled with "analysis paralysis" more than I care to admit.

But it's done.

Tomorrow, ready or not, those kiddos will show up in my Google Meet and we'll tackle this thing together!

Our schedule is a mix of synchronous (live) sessions via G-Meet and asynchronous (on your own) lessons.  It really took me quite a while to wrap my head around what this would look like and I'm still not sure I have it completely figured out, but either way, we're going live tomorrow and praying the wi-fi holds up 😁

In the midst of all of today's chaos with figuring out my lessons, I decided I didn't like how the previous lesson planner was working out, so I created a new one.  I already like it much better than the first version!

Here's the revised version of the Junior Planner:

• The lesson plans are all on the right side and not split over the middle "spine"
• Plenty of room for my current scribbles / sticky-notes on the left side.
• Still allows me to do an appointment scheduler for an "at a glance" look at my week.
• I currently don't have room for an Advisory area, but the Sat/Sun could be subbed in for Advisory if needed.
• Overall cleaner feel.

My planner is already filled out for this week and based on what I've written down, it's going to be super busy!!  I still need to finish the actual lessons for Thursday/Friday, but I'm ready for at least the first 3 days (I think) 

Wish me luck! LOL

#MTBoSBlaugust - Useful Chrome Extensions

 

Wow - what a week!  We've never had 7 days of pre-planning, but then again, we've never been in the middle of a global pandemic. 🙂

Several times throughout the week, I felt like I was working my tail off but had nothing to show for it at the end of the day, then by the time evening came, I was brain dead and ready for a break, which might explain the lack of blogging 🙂

One of my biggest tasks over the past week has been trying to replicate my home set-up on my school computer, which has its own set of technology challenges....

But one thing I've learned is the usefulness of various Chrome Extensions! :)

	With Distance Learning, one thing I learned early one was the usefulness of splitting my screen.  A lot of people like to have dual monitors, but I don't like hunting down my mouse, nor do I like the physical footprint of having two monitors on my desk.  But Dualless to the rescue! We use Google Meet for our classes, which has a really annoying issue of not being able to see what you are presenting plus being able to see your students.  So if I'm doing a live Desmos or presenting a slideshow, I have to flip back and forth on the tabs.  By using Dualless, I can pull those into two separate Chrome windows, click on the Dualless link on my browser toolbar and choose the split ratio I want to use.
	Another great extension I found this summer was the Video Speed Controller.  This allows me to speed up or slow down any video on YouTube, EdPuzzle, etc.  I've found it so useful, especially right now during our busy season and the 1.5 speed is about perfect for me!
	Inserting emojis into my messages, Desmos activities, and blog posts are so much easier now that I've installed the Emoji keyboard! This little extension pops down a menu that I can search, then when I click on an emoji, it automatically copies the emoji so I can paste it into my activity or email.  I'm really excited to use this extension in my Desmos activities as I plan to use emoji cues for note-taking, etc!
	Last spring, I found myself needing to annotate a website or a Desmos activity for a screencast, so Page Marker came in handy multiple times.  This extension isn't very fancy, but it gets the job done!  I can choose the color, the pen size and write as much as I want before clearing the screen or closing the extension.  When using it over a Desmos activity or slide show, you do have to switch to the arrow to navigate to the next slide, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty user friendly.
	In this season of making a lot of videos, I certainly can't leave off the Loom extension!  With a school email account, teachers are eligible for the free version of Loom Pro.  In the past, I've used Screencastify and Loom is very similar in terms of its ease of use.  I also like that Loom has some good editing features, plus a way for students to provide feedback via comments and/or emojis, and embeds easily into Canvas! :)

It's going to be a super busy weekend of lesson planning and finalizing my plan for Monday.  If you have any great ideas for the first day of distance learning, please let me know!  I'm also on the lookout for more useful extensions, so send those my way too!

Happy Saturday!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Everything Takes So Long!

 

Whew... another day is done!  I felt really scattered today and even though I got a few things done, I realized that everything takes 3-4 times as long!  Sigh...

Today was another full day of learning!  Some lessons were great, some not so great :)

First up is my bright idea that wasn't... LOL  When I got to work, I thought, ya know, I probably should have a place to put my mask that is not just thrown on my desk.  I mean, right now, it's not as big of a deal as it really is just me in the room, but it still seems less than sanitary. But wait!  I have some command hooks in the cabinet, I think!  And I did... but not the right kind :)  Oh well, I'll try it out anyway...  Yeah, that didn't work so well.  It went on there really well, but getting it OFF the hook, not so much LOL.   I sent this photo to hubs and after he laughed at me, told me he had some in his office, so maybe tomorrow's attempt will be better! LOL

On a more positive note, I learned a bunch about Desmos today!

First thing I learned was how to aggregate data! With distance learning and asynch lessons, I wanted a way for students to be able to still "put graphs on the board".  I knew it was possible, but I hadn't actually learned how to do it yet!  So the Twitters to the rescue!  Thankfully I got some very helpful replies right away.   However, I forgot to take a picture of the wonderful dotplot we made and then I deleted the activity... whoops! I also played some with the new Collaborate feature with the wonderful Julie K - who is often my partner in crime when it comes to Desmos and AP Stat.  Her help and willingness to talk through things is just invaluable to me. As we were working, I found a hidden nugget.. check it out!  In the image component, you can now mark for an image to go full-screen (aka zoom in!)  YAY!!

If you are an experienced AP Stat teacher, you might be thinking that the images in that Desmos screen look a bit familiar...

For years, I've used The Jelly Blubber Colony by Rex Boggs to introduce the sampling methods.  

It's certainly not done yet, nor do I know if it will ever be fully done, but Julie and I are working on getting the JB colony into a Desmos activity.  It took us a good chunk of the day to get it partially done and that's just for one lesson for one class!  UGH 

I need to remember to give myself grace and that it's OKAY to just straight up lecture and go old-school for this year :)  Y'all may need to remind me of that several times though...

I did walk away remembering how much I love and adore Desmos, so that's a huge win! :)

#MTBoSBlaugust - Pathways to Being Better

 

Today was a struggle.  Not in a bad way, but just in terms of feeling like I accomplished something.

I walked into school today with high hopes and a blank agenda.  I had absolutely nothing on my calendar other than to drill down into what this semester will look like.  

7:00am - Arrive at school and juggle a few big / bulky things.  I decided to bring up a bag chair so I could sit outside for some fresh air and I also brought up a larger monitor.  We have Surface Pros for the teacher computer, which is lovely, but a tiny screen for my old eyes, so I had an external monitor.  However, after 5 months at home with a larger monitor, the school one felt "off" in terms of size / aspect ratio.  Thankfully hubs is a techy guy and we had a spare.  I fought with cables and cords, but finally got it set up and going - yay me!

7:45am - Neighbor teacher texts me to say she's headed to Sonic and did I want a drink?  Ummm, YES!

8:00am - Drink arrives and I call our EL teacher to share what I learned last night about changing languages on Google Meet Closed Captioning

8:15am - Start working on setting up my Canvas courses

9:00am - Neighbor teacher and I co-teach a class, so we sit down to start thinking through what that looks like.  We spend a couple of hours looking at various technologies and what might work.  Two hours later, we still don't have a plan, but we are a bit better about wrapping our heads around what it looks like - maybe :)

11:30am - Neighbor teacher goes to run an errand, I grab my bag chair and text a friend to see if she wants to sit outside for a bit for fresh air.  Grab my notebook from last year and a blank calendar to try to figure out some pacing calendars.

12:00pm - Come back inside, continue looking at pacing calendar, erase, write again, erase, repeat...

1:00pm - Meet with my content level team to try to figure out what remote teaching looks like.  We hash out a few things, kind of get an idea of pacing, but still pretty lost on the day to day.

3:20pm - Head back to my room to wrap up for the day.  Catch up on emails, send a few more, talk on the phone with our district PD director about how to do asynchronous PD

3:45pm - Look at my very blank agenda and desk, realize that I have nothing to show for today, decide to go home.  

4:30pm - Get home, handle a few other PD issues that came up, send it off to the people that need to proofread

5:30pm - Walk around the corner to check on my elderly neighbor to see how he is doing and to thank him for the cheesecake he made for us this weekend :)

6:00pm - Dinner time, then a real walk (Gotta meet my #fitbos goal!), rest and relax for a bit.

9:00pm - Decide finally on the topic for today's blog post and sit down to write :)  So here's my point in today's post:

We're on a pathway that is scary, it's unknown, it has switchbacks and crazy curves....This year is going to be really hard.  I also know that I will come out a better teacher on the other side.  However, getting to that other side is going to be a real challenge.  I know that when the kids "show up" next week, things will be better.  I know that we will pull it off, because we always do.  I know it will work out - it just has to, right? :)  

This year will challenge me like no other - new ways to present content, new ways to design activities, new ways to assess, new ways to connect with students, new ways to use technology.  I know that I have an opportunity to try new things, to change the paradigm of my classroom, to have a complete mindset shift of education.  I know that what we do this year will shape the future of teaching and learning for years to come.  The unknown is terrifying and I think that's one major reason why education has looked the same way for 100 years.  

Way back in January, I challenged my students to have a word of the year.  My word was COURAGE.  The main reason for that choice was that I was scared.  I had never travelled overseas and I was about to head to Portugal for a week.  That word still applies.  I'm still scared.  I've never travelled the path I'm currently on - I mean, it's a pandemic for goodness sake! - but I also know that if I can stay the course, if I can find courage, I will come out the other side and I will be a better teacher for it.

#MTBoSBlaugust - First Year Again

 

Whenever I have a student teacher or encounter a student / first year teacher, one of my words of advice is to blog throughout the year as a journal record of the ups and downs as a record of growth.  This time, those words of advice are aimed at myself as a challenge to blog about this year as I very much feel like a first year teacher again.  

We reported back to work on Thursday and what a jam-packed day it was! 

I arrived at school around 7am and was immediately overwelmed, but kind of in a good way, if that makes sense?  This was the before picture and by about 8:30, I had a semblance of order to it, even though the wall calendar still says March - LOL!  I feel like there is so much out of my control right now that it felt good to jump in to cleaning my classroom because that was something I *could* control.  There was an element of normalcy that I appreciated in this very abnormal world.  I wish I had thought to take an after picture, but maybe next week! :) Then it was on the rest of the day...

After cleaning up my room, the next thing on my agenda was a PD / Technology meeting that morning where I was a total doofus and couldn't figure out why I couldn't hear the other people on the call until I finally realized my computer was on mute.  I was so embarassed.  I haven't used my school computer for 5 months and my home computer works differently, so I didn't even think about checking the system mute.  UGH - won't make that mistake again! 

After figuring out the PD schedule, it was time for a short break to check in on my family.  My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this summer, and her surgery was on Thursday.  All was going well so far, so time to unpack some boxes and continue cleaning my room.  All but 4 textbooks have been accounted for so far, so that's great news!  Our kids had to do a "drive-through" textbook return last Spring, so I was nervous that more would be missing and I was pleasantly surprised!

That afternoon was our All-Staff meeting and we don't have a place on campus that is large enough with social distancing rules for our staff to convene, so it was a virtual meeting via Zoom.  It actually worked out pretty well overall so I kind of hope those continue!  After the meeting, I wrapped up a few more things, then shut off the lights to head home because I had the first MIST meeting to attend! :)

After getting home and eating dinner, it was time for MIST!  MIST stands for "Mathematical Immersion for Secondary Teachers" and is a problem based curriculum / professional learning opportunity aimed at secondary math teachers.  I've been in contact with the MIST folks since February, so I was so excited to actually start! Thursday was a Mathy Meet and Greet to introduce the people behind MIST, the research component, and to start doing math together.  Kate, our facilitator, did a fabulous job of organizing the evening.  Our math for this session was called an Estimathon, which reminded me of a math trivia night.  In our small group breakout sessions, we worked on 11 questions and had come up with a estimated range for our answer, without googling!  For example, one question was about how many episodes had been aired of the Oprah talk show over her career.  It was a blast!

After the 30 minutes was up, we had a short debrief about the activity and I think it would really be cool to gather some of these questions for the last 5 minutes of class or any time we have some downtime.  It was also a great way to practice the breakout room norms that we will be using in the other 9 sessions.  We are meeting every other Thursday night, so if you want to join in the mathy fun, please feel free to read the informational flier, ask me any questions, and sign up to join us!!  

By the end of the day, I was already missing my daily nap time because I'll admit that naptime is one of my favorite parts of summer!  

Then it was Friday... thankfully Friday was a bit calmer than Thursday!  I really didn't have much on my plate other than a department meeting and finish cleaning my room, so that next week I can really drill down into the PD and lesson planning.  I knew that this weekend would be busy, so after getting home last night, I totally vegged and hubs and I continued binge watching Schitt's Creek until I fell asleep on the couch.  

And now it's the weekend. :)  Happy Saturday to you all!  

#MTBoSBlaugust - Last Day of Summer

 

Spring Break has finally come to an end and tomorrow, we report back to our classrooms for 7 days of pre-planning.  I know my room is an utter mess and in a normal year, I would have been working up there the past week, carting bag after bag of new school supplies, but not this year.  This year has been weird.  I have been to my classroom twice since March 13 and only for a few minutes each time.  I know that I will be really busy the next few days as I re-orient myself to the classroom.  

Today was a weird mix of self-care and PD.

I hope all of you are as blessed as I am to have some really great teacher friends in your life.  I am blessed with some great MTBoS friends that live in my metro area and normally we try to get together in person for lunch during our breaks, but today we met via Zoom and it just made my heart happy.  To make the day even better, I had met one of those friends for a pedicure this morning, which completed this weird spring break cycle as the last time we had gotten pedicures together was on March 14, to start Spring Break :)

I've also worked a lot today on planning some PD for my school, and I'm actually pretty pleased with our plan!  Right now, we are thinking to do the PD virtually and mostly asynch to mimic the classroom environment.  For example, we'll use EdPuzzle to do a video training on our new web filter, and as a result, kind of hit two birds with one stone.  We have a lot of the tool-based PD nailed down, but still need to work on some of the pedagogy PD - feel free to drop me a note on Twitter or in the comments with any suggestions!

Speaking of PD - tomorrow night is the first MIST session and I'm super excited about it!  We are going to do a mathy meet-and-greet to get to know each other.  If you would like to know more about the MIST program, please check out the flier - I'd love to have you join me for some math fun this fall!

And of course, with school starting, I really needed to get my planner finished, so here's what I ended up with for the distance learning portion of our year :)  I added a Sat/Sun area and changed the meetings to better fit our bell schedule since our synch learning will be based on the bells.  Download the file by clicking here

Here's to a fabulous day 1! :)