tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49993738805453813152024-03-05T12:26:05.771-06:00PLN - Not Just My InitialsI started this blog to share information and resources with my PLN.PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-12512491227263741302017-06-18T13:54:00.000-05:002017-06-18T13:56:13.732-05:00Some Split Screen Tips<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today I learned about a couple of tips when you want to split your computer screen and do work side by side. I have been using the Chrome extensions Tab Scissors and Tab Glue to split my screen and then put it back together, and while those extensions work fine in most cases I was exploring other options. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I came across </span><a href="http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=5699791757&blog=5411887&frame_type=none" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this post by The Techie Teacher</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and found some valuable information. I especially like the Toggle Slide Panel bookmarklet tool. She credited James Malcolm for it and you can read more about it </span><a href="http://jgmalcolm.com/hide-side-panel" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why would you want to hide the slide panel in Google Slides? Well, as you probably know, when working in split screen, you can not present slides, because the second you click on the Present button the split screen stops and your whole computer screen is taken over by the slide. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-ccae525b-bc81-b966-4475-8113be8e108f"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order for the slides to be given more real estate on the split screen. First, click on Toggle Slide Panel bookmarklet (which eliminates the thumbnails of the slides), then split your screen. See the difference in the two screenshots below. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Screenshot 2017-06-18 12.51.50.png" height="273" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/w4Ja98cVoTDq7LVujaPHCd0eJnMs4cm3_IIiZtYO0vcDbY5oIY6-m2_qztaHXUpIYxSDj5edpnnGAxv79haJDqSAOACT1bjhnkJp4N8Ia9vO8o0N_JgE_-o-t8IOCF4HOXA7VH7F" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here is a screenshot after using the Toggle Slide Panel Bookmarklet. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Screenshot 2017-06-18 13.00.07.png" height="292" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JENPSR9n5JS631Gmd5lxQOI2rR3d-89VxgsrxB8DgDgcErQ0XeQ2sYXLTV_nSS0zA1noPuID5iEK26aUe3MKAr9SqFI4hO6rUe8IFaaSRD2qMnsIKt3hoPmml5ptdF2hFzyUaad1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can definitely see how nice it is with the slide panel gone. Best of all you can still advance the slides by clicking on the side of the screen that contains your slide deck and using the left and right arrows on your keyboard. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some things to keep in mind before you start doing this neat little trick. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ccae525b-bc83-696c-2813-ea243a62b7c2"></span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Toggle Slide Panel bookmarklet doesn’t show in split screen mode, so use it to remove the slide panel </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you split the screen.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When in full-screen mode you can just click the bookmarklet to bring back the slide thumbnails. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drag the Split Tabs extension icon closer to your omnibox. When I first installed it, I had so many other extensions enabled that it didn’t show up on my split screen mode. Luckily my Tab Glue icon was showing and it put my split screen back together. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I soon realized that I had to click on the Split Tabs extension icon and click on the undo button to end the split screen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I often use split screen and so do my students, so I love being able to do so quickly and easily. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have any other split screen tips? Please add them in the comments. </span></span></div>
PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-8316483548000153702016-07-27T14:32:00.000-05:002016-07-27T14:32:44.715-05:00My Summer of Learning - 2016My summer is rapidly coming to an end, but it has been a great one. I have presented many times both in person and virtually. I also attended many conferences and training opportunities.<br />
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School ended for me the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, so I took off and spent a few days to relax and revitalize in Bioxli, with one of my travel buddies, Janet Keller.<br />
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<u>June</u><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I met with my <a href="http://www.edcampnola.com/" target="_blank">EdcampNOLA</a> co-founders and organizers to plan our upcoming edcamp. We decided on October 29th for this year and our venue is the ReNEW McDonough City Park Academy in New Orleans. </li>
<li>I presented for <a href="http://www.simplek12.com/" target="_blank">SimpleK12</a> twice during June. Once on Impromptu Skype Calls and the other was on Using Google Hangouts to Connect with Other Classes. </li>
<li>I attended several <a href="http://www.teachersfirst.com/ok2ask/" target="_blank">OK2Ask webinars</a> and another one by my friend and fellow LACUE board member, <a href="https://twitter.com/educatoralex" target="_blank">Desiree Alexander</a>. </li>
<li>The <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/latechleaders/" target="_blank">LACUE Tech Leadership Summit</a> took place in Baton Rouge in the middle of June and I both presented and attended many sessions. </li>
<li>One of my team members, Elisa Western, and I met several times to do some cross-curricular 4th-grade planning. Our principal, Audrey Easley, even joined us for one of these meetings. </li>
<li>At the end of the month, I flew out to Denver to spend a week at <a href="http://www.isteunplugged.com/" target="_blank">ISTE Unplugged</a> and <a href="http://www.iste.org/explore/conference-news" target="_blank">ISTE2016</a>, which is always the highlight of my summer. I got to spend time with members of my PLN from around the world who gathered for ISTE. It was especially nice this summer since I had to miss last year due to having surgery. </li>
</ol>
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<u>July</u> </div>
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<ol>
<li>I spent the 4th of July weekend in Natchez, MS, with my dear friend, Janet Keller, and helped celebrate our friend, Mr. Bob's, 95th birthday. </li>
<li>I did three more online presentations for Simple K12.</li>
<li>Twice I did a Google Hangout (GHO) with <a href="https://twitter.com/amishahdotca" target="_blank">Amy Shah</a> from <a href="https://www.peekapak.com/content/anonymousRoot.html" target="_blank">Peekapak</a>, which is a new social/emotional online program I will be using this year with my students. I met Amy while attending ISTE and agreed to work with her and her company during the year. </li>
<li>Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4thchat" target="_blank">#4thchat</a> moderators, <a href="https://twitter.com/ncarroll24?lang=en" target="_blank">Nancy Carroll</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jennregruth" target="_blank">Jennifer Regruth</a>, and myself, got together in a GHO and planned out our chat topics for the first half of the 2016-2017 school year. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4thchat.wikispaces.com/file/view/2015-06-18_%234thchatModerators.png/554194062/800x424/2015-06-18_%234thchatModerators.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://4thchat.wikispaces.com/file/view/2015-06-18_%234thchatModerators.png/554194062/800x424/2015-06-18_%234thchatModerators.png" width="200" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>I presented to <a href="https://twitter.com/drtamssen" target="_blank">Tammy Seneca</a>'s teachers in West Baton Rouge via GHO and talked about how I use GHO to connect with other classes and different collaborative projects I'm part of. </li>
<li>Elisa, Audrey, and I had another 4th-grade planning meeting. </li>
<li>Next, I attended and presented four sessions on BreakoutEDU at the <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/lpssonline.com/leta/techsetters-2016" target="_blank">LACUE Region 4 LETA conference</a> in Lafayette, LA. </li>
<li>My learning was extended with even more OK2Ask webinars. </li>
<li>EdcampNOLA organizers met again to do even more planning and help me prepare questions we wanted addressed when I attended the Edcamp Organizers Summit.</li>
<li>I finally got to meet <a href="https://twitter.com/burgessdave" target="_blank">Dave Burgess</a> in person, when he presented in Baton Rouge. Dave is the author of <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Pirate-Engagement-Creativity/dp/0988217600/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469645543&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+like+a+pirate" target="_blank">Teach Like a Pirate</a> and is a very inspiring member of my PLN. </li>
<li>My cohort from when I did my Masters program at SELU got together for coffee and catching up time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsqdsEuipxeOqvySd2GX7ueWSq2KJ7Qfl0FLElh4ieq3XXelvmqDL07p0tLuXd7y6lMJEE3K71N_uRAExaSZ4berhuc0piXCqcNMuRS3zQ0MrliuRsjeVt_Iq-RvDthM52dq33JNAWRi9/s1600/IMG_4710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsqdsEuipxeOqvySd2GX7ueWSq2KJ7Qfl0FLElh4ieq3XXelvmqDL07p0tLuXd7y6lMJEE3K71N_uRAExaSZ4berhuc0piXCqcNMuRS3zQ0MrliuRsjeVt_Iq-RvDthM52dq33JNAWRi9/s200/IMG_4710.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>I attended the Edcamp Organizer Summit in Atlanta with <a href="https://edcamp.wikispaces.com/Edcamp+CENLA" target="_blank">#edcampCenLa</a> founder, <a href="https://twitter.com/em_swenson" target="_blank">Emily Swenson</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/edcamplaf" target="_blank">#edcampLafayette</a> QT founder, <a href="https://twitter.com/NatalieSChustz" target="_blank">Natalie Chustz</a>, and over 100 other edcamp founders/organizers mostly from the southeast region of the United States. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKspzFakL8FtH5hWrEIEd_RuIj6EV7vLnxFc4OucXDA3F4nZC3ns8hvFo1b4iVJDz_pY9O4A0SYkTluKMLueUF2o7e29MHcOAr4WXEVTI5sjvuJDdcEusHF-OFKm1Apv2piDFc6ll_Bb0S/s1600/Screenshot+2016-07-27+14.27.19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKspzFakL8FtH5hWrEIEd_RuIj6EV7vLnxFc4OucXDA3F4nZC3ns8hvFo1b4iVJDz_pY9O4A0SYkTluKMLueUF2o7e29MHcOAr4WXEVTI5sjvuJDdcEusHF-OFKm1Apv2piDFc6ll_Bb0S/s200/Screenshot+2016-07-27+14.27.19.png" width="200" /></a></div>
</li>
</ol>
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I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight home from #EdcampOSAtl16. I decided to write this post as I waited. Here is want I have planned for August before school starts for me on August 8. </div>
</div>
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<ol>
<li>I'm presenting about Chrome Extensions tomorrow for Simple K12. Also, I will be presenting in person a 90-minute Breakout EDU session and a concurrent session on Mystery Location Calls via GHO at the <a href="http://www.stjohn.k12.la.us/pages/SJBP/Departments/Technology/Mini_LACUE_Region_III_2016" target="_blank">Mini LACUE Region 3 Conference</a> in St. John Parish. </li>
<li>Friday I will be presenting a one-hour webinar for LACUE on No Email, No Problem - Great Sites To Use that Require No Registration. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnHPC0UVIAE_rjB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnHPC0UVIAE_rjB.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Saturday I will be doing a GHO with <a href="https://twitter.com/swampfrogfirst" target="_blank">Heidi Samuelson(@swampfrogfirst)</a> to discuss some collaborative projects we hope to do during the 2016-2017 school year. </li>
<li>During the first week of August, I will be "hanging out" with the #4thchat moderators again to do even more planning for our weekly chats. I will attend <a href="https://www.edmodocon.com/" target="_blank">EdmodoCon2016</a>, an all day online conference, and a Remind Train the Trainer online session. I will end the week by attending some PD sessions at my school and getting my classroom ready for the new school year. </li>
</ol>
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My summer break consists of exactly 41 weekdays and I think I used them well. I have been very busy, but extremely happy during this summer and am looking forward to a wonderful school year as I begin my <b><span style="color: red;">41st year</span></b> of teaching. </div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-37327835251225578152016-07-12T13:41:00.000-05:002016-07-13T08:09:16.980-05:00I’m Ditching Homework! Opting for Family Time Instead<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Fuck homework(parody of fuck ..." height="173" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yUGfqUar86jpy7LF-kBLRvJxR9lQHlA8UuljhQzYBCSbhrDdaaW9dyNVPz301XUfy-X8RPLyHBd00eaUl0LXtXNtU-BsFHDHabeXx2DvweyWPI1eQcsoU7i1K_j6RU-Oo5b7eaQN" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="230" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: http://bit.ly/29MUFuo </td></tr>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-c73b890e-e054-182c-d40e-320a583aa0bc" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instead of fighting the homework battle as I have done for the past 40 years, I'm </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ditching</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> homework this year. Instead, I will be sending home Family Time activities which my students and their parents can choose to participate in or not. The choice will be theirs. There will be no tracking to see who is doing the activities, and no punishment if the student and his/her family do not do it. </span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each week I will send out a <a href="https://www.remind.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Remind</span></a> notice to the parents of my students with a suggested list of Family Time activities they can do instead of traditional homework. Since I am an ELA teacher one of the activities will always be read to siblings, parents, pet, or self. This has been a homework assignment for years, but since I don’t require reading logs, I never knew if my students read at home each night or not. I want to help my students because lovers of reading, but I feel that making them read each night at home doesn’t really help foster a love of reading. Doing daily read alouds, having robust book discussions as a class or in groups, and making my reading lessons fun and engaging will do a much better job of helping my students realize how much fun reading can be. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other activities I plan on including will range from playing a game that uses math, creating and doing challenges with your family, watching a TV show or movie and critiquing it as a tweet, making a dish and sharing the recipes with your class, or exploring a hobby or passion. I plan a having a suggestion jar where my students can add ideas for Family Time activities that can be included in my weekly notices. (<a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1956wuLC-V3E6rhp71Zlws2mm8vmDzT5w5wJgZ63JVdU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Label for my jar</span></a>) </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This places a burden on me to make sure that my students have enough time at school to properly prepare and learn for the assessments that I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">must</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> give without relying on any time at home for studying. How will this be accomplished? I will build into my class schedule each day time for my students to use </span><a href="https://getkahoot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kahoot</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://quizizz.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quizizz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or </span><a href="https://quizlet.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quizlet</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to review vocabulary and concepts that are included in our daily lessons. Playing these games in class will allow me to know that my students are reviewing (studying) each and every day. Each platform provides me with data so I will be able to track how my students are doing. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am feeling so relieved that the homework battle will not be a part of my life this school year. I plan on using the #familytime hashtag to promote what I am doing and to share out awesome ideas to send home instead of traditional homework. Please consider joining me!</span></div>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: red;">What are your thoughts? Are you ready to ditch homework this year?</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></span><br />
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PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-89244897179495980042015-12-22T19:56:00.004-06:002015-12-29T09:19:00.787-06:00Check This Out - Edmodo Spotlight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4dgeaIK5eGrpcmkmKY9maeG2sQ88EdCq9z2-dLn8jPtU3dILgTAhX9MAdMJc_iK_nI_hMkRQywPpiLHRL4xBTxtayIhMvkS52tF45EDiMPd1cPEpmfJp1Vb0TB3Vb6phqvhd4ohi6vwv/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4dgeaIK5eGrpcmkmKY9maeG2sQ88EdCq9z2-dLn8jPtU3dILgTAhX9MAdMJc_iK_nI_hMkRQywPpiLHRL4xBTxtayIhMvkS52tF45EDiMPd1cPEpmfJp1Vb0TB3Vb6phqvhd4ohi6vwv/s1600/imgres.jpg" /></a></div>
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When you need a resource or two to round out your weekly lesson plans where do you go to find some? Well, I think you should start with Edmodo Spotlight. It is a new addition to the Edmodo platform that allows teachers to share resources they have created or sites they recommend for others. Everyone can access Spotlight by going to this address - <a href="http://spotlight.edmodo.com/">http://spotlight.edmodo.com</a>.<br />
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Using the search filters on the left sidebar, you can search by subject, grade level, type of resources, and price. Yes, some resources being uploaded cost money, but there are so many that are FREE.<br />
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While everyone can access Spotlight, you will need an Edmodo account in order to post resources. You access Spotlight by clicking on the first icon to the right of the search bar on your homepage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmPnrI3K1PMIkEC1Wa-BETR2erFHk0uFSdz2w_1C1I-5DYIpPpRLj0ugnVmn1LDxkA1TSruV_5Iv2L6xJuAhqaI4Yl77DS9Tyb1Z3WtGgeNXFei1wsN9TKCOsg92bDGrN9oN9PaeOp8ou/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-22+19.25.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFmPnrI3K1PMIkEC1Wa-BETR2erFHk0uFSdz2w_1C1I-5DYIpPpRLj0ugnVmn1LDxkA1TSruV_5Iv2L6xJuAhqaI4Yl77DS9Tyb1Z3WtGgeNXFei1wsN9TKCOsg92bDGrN9oN9PaeOp8ou/s640/Screenshot+2015-12-22+19.25.05.png" width="440" /></a></div>
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Are you a teacherpreneur? You'll want to check out how easy it is to upload your resources to Edmodo. Be sure to check out these three resources to learn even more about Spotlight.<br />
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1. <a href="https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/articles/205008114-Edmodo-Spotlight-FAQs" target="_blank">About Edmodo Spotlight - FAQs</a><br />
2. <a href="https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/articles/205008094-Edmodo-Spotlight-Best-Practices" target="_blank">Edmodo Spotlight Best Practices</a><br />
3. <a href="https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/articles/205008084-Edmodo-Spotlight-Code-of-Conduct" target="_blank">Edmodo Spotlight Code of Conduct</a><br />
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To get an idea of the kind of resources that you find on Spotlight check out <a href="https://spotlight.edmodo.com/profile/paula-naugle,19085/" target="_blank">Paula Naugle's Spotlight</a>.<br />
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I would also like to point you to <a href="https://spotlight.edmodo.com/profile/christi-collins,30399853/" target="_blank">Christi Collins' Spotlight</a>. I love all of the resources she has uploaded to her Spotlight and they're all free.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">What are your thoughts about Edmodo Spotlight? Please share in the comments. </span></b>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-37151875011051170472015-12-05T13:37:00.001-06:002015-12-05T13:37:50.063-06:00Amplify with Adobe VoiceToday on the <a href="http://live.classroom20.com/" target="_blank">Classroom 2.0 Live</a> webinar, we were very fortunate to have <a href="https://twitter.com/RafranzDavis" target="_blank">Rafranz Davis</a> as our guest presenter. Her "Tech Tools to Amplify Your Classroom" introduced me to a new tool to add to my toolbox - Adobe Voice.<br />
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I love how easy it is to create a video to share a story with others using Adobe Voice. I downloaded the app to my iPad mini and created my first one in under 10 minutes. I can't wait to show this to my students and see how their digital storytelling shapes up. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="340" src="//voice.adobe.com/a/rkkXk/embed/" width="560"></iframe>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-6109886017505078832015-08-02T11:23:00.000-05:002015-08-02T11:23:56.627-05:0012 Tips for Getting Ready for a New School Year<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each summer as July comes to a close and we head into August, I start getting itchy to get into my classroom and start preparing for the upcoming school year. I have been doing this for 39 summers now, so I think that I have some tips that others can use to get their classroom ready and start the new school year off on the right foot. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Start with the arrangement</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I begin prepping my room, I first have to get all of my furniture arranged. As I do this I keep these things in mind:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">collaborative seating arrangements </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">large group space</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">small group area(s)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">timeout or individual workspace</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">classroom library and reading corner</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">storage of manipulatives</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">computer stations and cart</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vKmSQzJOFUGAQx0aPanm-sOVG5H533qgvcgGWhwALcZb3hGVOf8diuyyIy9hmRqJ07gU2wMEKeZfKV9_2cY3H8vWCgr2sz8yWCnmQA4xWbUll2FOwzZmK0IqpcTUq5oS" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vKmSQzJOFUGAQx0aPanm-sOVG5H533qgvcgGWhwALcZb3hGVOf8diuyyIy9hmRqJ07gU2wMEKeZfKV9_2cY3H8vWCgr2sz8yWCnmQA4xWbUll2FOwzZmK0IqpcTUq5oS" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="138px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two tools that can help you with arrangement are </span><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Class Set-Up Tool</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from Scholastic and </span><a href="http://classroom.4teachers.org/" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Class Architect</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Let Go of Your Teacher’s Desk</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What? Are you kidding me? Yes, I am completely serious. I did this a couple of years ago and I am so glad I did. I like to have things in my class that add to my students’ learning and can hopefully be used in multiple ways. My desk just wasn’t meeting those requirements. I now have a kidney-shaped table that I also use for meeting with my small groups. It is also used during meetings with my team. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On top of it I have one small basket (containing office type supplies - paper clips, rubber bands, Post-it notes etc,), a stapler, a tape dispenser, an electric pencil sharpen, a can of pencils, pens, and markers, and a basket for students to turn in paperwork. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since I couldn’t actually put the teacher’s desk out of my room, it became repurposed as a computer station for my students. Several of them can sit at it at a time and use their netbooks to do group work. The drawers now contain office supplies and writing supplies for my students’ </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">use. I let them organize it. It also is used as a station for art projects. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. The Tech Stuff</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What technology tools will you have access to in your classroom? How many computers will you have? Can you bring in a laptop or iPad cart on occasion? Will your computers need to be hard wired or do you have wireless access? If you wheel in a cart, will there be enough room for the kids to access the contents of the cart in a safe manner? Are all cords and connections out of the walkways? Do you have a charging station available if batteries start dying during use? Can the device still be used while plugged into the charging station? Do you have an interactive whiteboard (IWB)? How will you use your IWB during class - for whole group or small group instruction, or both? What other tech hardware do you have? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether you are a one-computer classroom or have a tricked-out tech classroom, you have decisions to make regarding how to arrange your space to allow for the best use of the tech you have available. Be very mindful for where your electrical outlets and Internet cables are located in your room. One year I set up my classroom only to discover that I had to flip everything around because of where the ethernet cord dropped into my room. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. An Individual Space or Two</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s face it, we all want our students engaging in great collaborative projects, but occasionally there is going to be the need for a time out space or an “On My Own” spot. I have two of these in my room. I never refer to them as “time out” spots with my students so these areas don’t get a negative connotation. I have had to quietly ask a student to move to one of these locations during small group work. I have also had students ask me if they can move to one of these spots to work on something quietly by themselves. When planning your room arrangement please make sure to include an On My Own space or two. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Bulletin Boards</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Givtw0z1w6yu3VRiPBuUHeUd4HrMd6IfTM97rAVqcIP0-ta7b3kUxV2CCGFR3sF-A-5JE3I7f6v0EdAttGPHOSk70_lmf28ntW-R-Lb-ToOzSzAYLceJ0a6aGgl92nNw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Givtw0z1w6yu3VRiPBuUHeUd4HrMd6IfTM97rAVqcIP0-ta7b3kUxV2CCGFR3sF-A-5JE3I7f6v0EdAttGPHOSk70_lmf28ntW-R-Lb-ToOzSzAYLceJ0a6aGgl92nNw" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="177px;" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t tell you the number of hours it used to take me to create beautiful and perfect bulletin boards. I am somewhat OCD, so my lettering had to be exactly straight and items placed on the board had to be just so. Just covering the board with paper and putting up just the right border took forever. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, I would rather use my valuable time creating engaging lessons for my students, so I now do BB differently. I buy black plastic tablecloths from the Dollar Store and cover my BB with them. They are a snap to put up and stay looking nice all year long. Student work that is displayed against the black background really “pop”. And that is all I do. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the kids enter on Day 1, they will be in charge of creating our classroom BBs. I make one of their first assignments something they have to create to let the rest of us learn about them and of course their creations go up on a BB immediately as completed (put there by the student). We brainstorm a class nickname and theme for the year and the kids decide how to decorate our classroom to convey our theme. They love having that autonomy! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. Classroom Library and Reading Corner</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cENrX22Nz2P7W89kjPdurOSNzqaT4atMy1dBiPYfg1ztRH0BftodED6r5dUJrkRlBTfSbMUIg7HRuYCGP_s8LUgXQGOGQGWWfqDUpc8lJPgzQKyX1_ew1Z9C-LEKdSn5" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cENrX22Nz2P7W89kjPdurOSNzqaT4atMy1dBiPYfg1ztRH0BftodED6r5dUJrkRlBTfSbMUIg7HRuYCGP_s8LUgXQGOGQGWWfqDUpc8lJPgzQKyX1_ew1Z9C-LEKdSn5" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="190px;" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that every classroom should have a library that the kids use and a reading corner. This can be as elaborate as you would like or just as simple as a small bookcase and a bean bag chair. Check out these </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/search/boards/?q=classroom+libraries" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">boards on Pinterest</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for some inspiration. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have lots of books and have always wanted a great way to catalog them then you will want to head over to </span><a href="http://classroom.booksource.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Classroom Organizer.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I just discovered this site this summer and plan to have some parent volunteers use it to organize all of my books. (You see, I was a reading teacher for over 25 years before I began teaching math and I have thousands of books.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Storage of Manipulatives</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter what grade level(s) or subject(s) you teach, you have to consider the best way to arrange and store your classroom manipulatives. These items can include such things as base 10 blocks, science equipment, maps and globes, art supplies, learning games, and much more. Where and how will you store them so that they are easy to access and put back? What type of storage devices will you use and how will you label them? Again you can find lots of ideas on </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/search/?q=classroom+containers" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to decide what is easiest for you and within your budget. For years I relied on empty copier paper boxes for my storage containers (easy to get and free) and I just labeled them with a Sharpie marker. As the years passed, I started investing in some large plastic storage containers. More recently I have been purchasing clear plastic shoebox containers for many of my smaller manipulatives and supplies, but for years I just used plastic storage bags. Now I’m using our class theme to make labels for the various containers I use. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have always </span><a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2010/03/take-a-trip-to-the-dollar-store-for-inexpensive-organizing-containers.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bought eight containers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to put at the collaborative seating groups (I have eight groups of four desks grouped together) in my classroom for easy student access to supplies. Each group captain is responsible to make sure that the container has enough pencils, markers, crayons, glue sticks, etc for the group. If we need a certain supply like dice or index cards for the day’s lesson, I can have each group captain add the item(s) to the containers. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. Classroom Rules</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My school has a set of three rules that are used by all teachers throughout the campus. They are Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful. They are printed on posters and are displayed in every classroom and in every common area of our school. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are responsible for establishing your own classroom rules, again I would involve your students in this process. Have them brainstorm a list, come to consensus on a list that contains three to five rules, and have them </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/search/?q=classroom+rules" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">create the poster</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. Classroom Procedures</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You need to envision your room full of 20-40 lively and energetic students. Now you need to think of all of the reasons why those students will need to get up and move about your space. What will that look like and how will that sound? It can be chaotic or easy-peasy depending on the class procedures you have in place. Here is </span><a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/head-behavior-problems-classroom-procedures" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a great resource from Scholastic</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to help you with procedures. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discuss and model your procedures starting on Day 1. Make it fun by having your students role-play each procedure being done properly and being done incorrectly. Reinforce your procedures with positive comments and maybe even rewards. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. Extra Special Touches</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you rely just on the bank of overhead lights in your classroom for lighting? Have you ever thought about adding some task lighting? Check your school policy first to find out if it is okay for you to add some lamps to your classroom. Do you have curtains on your windows or at least valances? I added short valences to my classroom windows and love the effect they create. </span><a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/08/19/do-you-keep-plants-in-your-classroom/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you keep plants in your classroom</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? Just be careful to add plants that are not toxic</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and again be aware of your school or district policy regarding plants.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s_ZDTU_j82RJxbJQuUrBUFcXXNGapgmaKjynf_xu8qNAAYt5N8pJJF_s96PVRjcZ77CN0HZkw3caag7tTOKJ1ks-CTZyUAdRc8XiE9LvaknJ6EzFuzeQB64CxeagvpoP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s_ZDTU_j82RJxbJQuUrBUFcXXNGapgmaKjynf_xu8qNAAYt5N8pJJF_s96PVRjcZ77CN0HZkw3caag7tTOKJ1ks-CTZyUAdRc8XiE9LvaknJ6EzFuzeQB64CxeagvpoP" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="161px;" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding some alternative seating such as bean bags, large throw pillows, </span><a href="http://fantasticinfirst.blogspot.com/2011/02/crate-solution.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">crate seats</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://ergonomenon.com/ergonomics-articles/fitness-ball-seats-in-classrooms-keeps-kids-focused/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exercise balls</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is something you might want to consider. Remember that soft surfaced items help absorb noise. I have some pillow pads on individual chairs too. Maybe add an area rug or ask for some old carpet samples from a retailer. These are great to use when gathering on the floor for large group meetings. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. Be 100% Ready for Day 1</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Classroom set up - check. Plans made for first day and first week - check. All material prepared and gathered - check. </span></div>
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<a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/backtoschool/mustdolist_box.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is a checklist </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have used for quite a few years to help me get ready for that first day of the new school year. I find that the better I am prepared to begin a new year, the better that year seems to go. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12. Clean Your House, Freeze Some Meals, and Organize Your Wardrobe</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the best tips I ever read (sorry I can’t remember who to credit) was to clean your house thoroughly from top to bottom before school starts. I know, I know. You have hundreds of other things to do to prepare for your school year, when will you possibly fit this in, or why would you even want to. Well, hear me out. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Picture the first week of school. You probably arrive earlier than usual to make sure everything is ready for the day. You also probably stay later to run off papers, work on lesson plans, and get everything squared away in your classroom. When you finally do get home you will be tired and will probably have things to do to prepare for the next day, the next week, the next month. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Which front door would you rather open?</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> One that leads into a chaotic, unorganized, cluttered space, or one that opens onto a calm and serene setting where things are where they should be and little is needed from you at that particular moment to make it so. I definitely prefer the later. I can spend time on school work without my guilty conscience voice nagging at me about housework chores that need attention. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spend some of your last few days of summer vacation stocking up your freezer with some meals for you to grab when cooking dinner just doesn’t fit into your schedule. (I know I don’t cook much during the first couple of weeks of school.) </span><a href="http://www.aturtleslifeforme.com/2011/06/freezer-meals-on-cheap.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out this post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to find out how the blogger spent about four hours to prepare 46 meals. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since I am definitely not a morning person, I always decide what I’m wearing the next day before I go to bed. At the beginning of the school year, I organize my closet so that my outfits are ready to go for the entire first week of school, right down to the accessories. (Tip - put jewelry in a baggie and add it to the hanger.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, there you have it. My 12 tips for getting ready for the school year. I hope something I shared here is useful to you. I wish each and every one of you a terrific 2015-2016 school year. Make it a great year or not, the choice is yours.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: red;">How are your preparations coming along? What would you add to the list?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo credits - Classroom by Paula L Naugle</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Bulletin Board by F. Delventhal CC licensed on Flickr</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Classroom Library by LizMarie_AK CC licensed on Flickr</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Exercise Ball in Classroom by Pam Moran (used with permission)</span></div>
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PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-80659815317566882462015-07-28T11:31:00.000-05:002015-08-27T21:14:28.078-05:00Grammarly Chrome ExtensionI have added the Grammerly extension to my Chrome Browser. (*I purposely spelled Grammarly wrong in my opening sentence for demonstration purposes.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1xsA4cnJxPvTe3TyZeZdmt7cXMH5cs-6QdKF3ul1rCPCLaHxRYx9SoSjq7x8XiJO6IhnTFyjt0MpV9p0oZo5tDMJMs_ugsBn-iZwq9obDMMQUOCE6pKcrZHYIy5B3bCvtAZtwM1E3wBO/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.14.08.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1xsA4cnJxPvTe3TyZeZdmt7cXMH5cs-6QdKF3ul1rCPCLaHxRYx9SoSjq7x8XiJO6IhnTFyjt0MpV9p0oZo5tDMJMs_ugsBn-iZwq9obDMMQUOCE6pKcrZHYIy5B3bCvtAZtwM1E3wBO/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.14.08.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I am a terrible speller, I love Grammarly's functionality. When I misspelled Grammarly, it was underlined in red and suggestions were made to correct it. As with most programs that try to detect spelling and grammar mistakes, it is not perfect, but it is the best one for me at this time. </div>
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There are several added features that I love also which are not mentioned in the reviews I read. The first one is Grammarly's ability to suggest synonyms for a word based on the word's meaning. All you have to do is double-click on a word, and a pop-up will appear with the definitions and synonyms. </div>
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This is what appeared when I double-clicked on the word <b>unknown </b>is the sentence above. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdue3yx0dTgQ7RXUXEVpxmljtzCDqT62UthpNassSCLi1dnLybIOTQuRlDbqAG82v45WJP5uQEdbh8nmSDYVqwsgDbUEm-Fi_0TxovyHH6GtBtNuCBpxF28M2V_CtP-56G8HKvjrcTwhH/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.31.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdue3yx0dTgQ7RXUXEVpxmljtzCDqT62UthpNassSCLi1dnLybIOTQuRlDbqAG82v45WJP5uQEdbh8nmSDYVqwsgDbUEm-Fi_0TxovyHH6GtBtNuCBpxF28M2V_CtP-56G8HKvjrcTwhH/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.31.17.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Grammarly can also define words for you as you are reading on the web. This is what happens when you're reading an online article and double-click on a word. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu278nuzPCGiSi8dI6-1HNH-Orc_dPw_WIirxWo-JuFC3a_xMFjspZK30gH-w3ueZ8elFGlsVPQHS_giIBqEJUMO6ulJLAKS8JsCXVM08MvwlpdTjsRzKfef2sgflSFAVoJU5_u1jxE4VR/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.34.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu278nuzPCGiSi8dI6-1HNH-Orc_dPw_WIirxWo-JuFC3a_xMFjspZK30gH-w3ueZ8elFGlsVPQHS_giIBqEJUMO6ulJLAKS8JsCXVM08MvwlpdTjsRzKfef2sgflSFAVoJU5_u1jxE4VR/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.34.04.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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What surprised me the most about Grammarly was the fact that it sends me a weekly email. Here is a screenshot of part of the email. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Bpx6GSrtuBeXpIChvNkYaLeVNaAC8vRgKuxQuxuNZw2teIZpei_lVplK0h474fMmtLsUcjIsy_L_C9ynF2qKWiiucPApDNrp4PsPR_jMi1JDNoOodHUUk-ihJzAbQveDzmv9tA70wT0q/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.50.48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Bpx6GSrtuBeXpIChvNkYaLeVNaAC8vRgKuxQuxuNZw2teIZpei_lVplK0h474fMmtLsUcjIsy_L_C9ynF2qKWiiucPApDNrp4PsPR_jMi1JDNoOodHUUk-ihJzAbQveDzmv9tA70wT0q/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-28+10.50.48.png" width="352" /></a></div>
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The email also includes a summary of overused words. How cool is that!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_BfHXnJgXFeKH_EbYU-rQ7oKrQKpEtmB9zgapm6oK0voJAlHhkN_8SX38zWOcYHXxMlsdMqf0L7VKkI6Rpqt0uQUgYCc1r3futDMHcDRCTxy6WnH5GqMmLHuvoxWHDCu7GC-amaxlRJC/s1600/Screenshot+2015-07-28+11.21.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_BfHXnJgXFeKH_EbYU-rQ7oKrQKpEtmB9zgapm6oK0voJAlHhkN_8SX38zWOcYHXxMlsdMqf0L7VKkI6Rpqt0uQUgYCc1r3futDMHcDRCTxy6WnH5GqMmLHuvoxWHDCu7GC-amaxlRJC/s320/Screenshot+2015-07-28+11.21.02.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is more in the weekly email summary, but these are the two parts of the summary I find most useful. I also need to mention that the email reminds me that there were advanced errors which would have been corrected if I upgraded to the premium version of Grammarly, but I am perfectly satisfied with the free version at this time. </div>
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<b>To learn more about Grammarly, check out this link </b><b><a href="https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check">https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check</a>. </b></h2>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Do you use the Grammarly Chrome extension? Please share your thoughts in the comments. </b></span></div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-30782594084320027242015-06-14T11:48:00.000-05:002015-06-18T18:44:04.295-05:00What If YouTube is Blocked?Today I learned how to take a YouTube video, upload it to my Google Drive and then use the embed code to put it on another site. Why would I need to do this? Well, unfortunately YouTube and other video sharing sites are blocked by many schools. This way, no matter where I'm located when trying to show a video, I won't have to worry about it being blocked.<br />
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Steps for the WorkAround<br />
1. Locate the video<br />
2. Copy URL for the video<br />
3. Paste URL into KeepVid (save to your desktop) <a href="http://keepvid.com/" target="_blank">http://keepvid.com/ </a><br />
4. Open your Google Drive<br />
5. Click on New<br />
6. Select File upload<br />
7. Select the video from your desktop<br />
8. Click on upload<br />
9. After video has uploaded into your Google Drive, open it.<br />
10. Make sure you click on the pop-out arrow along the top right (next to the X) to open all the video in a new window.<br />
11. Click on the More actions along top (three vertical dots)<br />
12. Click on embed item<br />
13. Highlight the HTML code, and copy it<br />
14. Open site where you want to embed the video<br />
15. Paste the embed code there<br />
16. Viola! You now have the video that will play from Google Drive viewer and will not be blocked<br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Oa5-QQAxnMLWhoY2FWSHhuR0E/preview" width="540"></iframe>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-64720122732120837982015-06-01T13:30:00.000-05:002015-06-01T13:51:15.054-05:002015 #JJAProject Kicks OffSince today is June 1st, I am beginning the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JJAProject?src=hash" target="_blank">#JJAProject</a> again for the summer. Today I snapped a picture of the first prfessional development book I'll be reading this summer, posted it to Twitter with the hashtag #JJAProect and uploaded it to our Flickr group.<br />
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I started the #JJAProject back in 2011 and was urged by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsdkrebs" target="_blank">Denise Krebs</a> to organize it again this year. Basically it is a group of mostly teachers, who love taking daily photos, but don't want to committ to a #365Project. Read more about how it got started <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QY7Pu-IlpMYzXqWdp1BHFiVCJtsQKu9DWKtCh-J0G5o/edit" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Please feel free to join us.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/plnaugle/18349475182" title="First #SummerReading PD book. #JJAProject by Paula Naugle, on Flickr"><img alt="First #SummerReading PD book. #JJAProject" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/469/18349475182_11791b93da_z.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-32340668030943737092014-07-06T17:57:00.000-05:002014-07-06T17:57:16.332-05:00#4thChat Moderators Meet F2F at ISTE2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't wait! I can't wait! Those were the words that swirled in my head in the months, weeks, days and hours leading up to heading to Atlanta for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference.<br />
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Why was I so excited? After all this would be my eighth ISTE, so I should be an old pro at this. Right? Wrong! Each ISTE I've attended has had its share of thrilling firsts for me. (Read more <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2010/06/cant-wait-to-attend-iste10.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/06/meeting-my-skype-buddy.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
As <a href="https://www.isteconference.org/2014/" target="_blank">ISTE2014</a> approached my level of excitement built. Let me share with you the four main reasons why this was so.<br />
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<u><b>Going Early to Sightsee and Be with Some Old Friends</b></u><br />
I arrived in Atlanta early to spend time with some very good friends and do some sightseeing before ISTE began. I know many who wait until the conference is over to do so, but I know from past experience that once ISTE ends I just want to go home and sleep. The long days and longer nights really wear me out. You can read about my pre-ISTE adventures <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2014/07/so-glad-i-went-to-iste2014-early.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<u><b>Presenting a Workshop</b></u><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/wkrakower" target="_blank">Bill Krakower</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/Cybraryman1" target="_blank">Jerry Blumengarten</a>, and I presented an hour and a half workshop at ISTE. Our topic was "Connecting Your Students to Collaborate with the World".<br />
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We taught our participants how to conduct <a href="http://cybraryman.com/mysterylocationcall.html" target="_blank">Mystery Location Calls</a> by dividing them into two groups. Each group represented a class from a state of the group's choosing and through a series of yes/no questions, had to figure out what state the other "class" was located in. Each group used maps to eliminate states, backchanneled in an Edmodo group, and took pictures of the whole thing. The workshop was a great success and we are so glad we had them do a "mock" Mystery Location call. By being assigned the various Mystery Location jobs and stepping through the entire process, we know they are well prepared to do these calls when they return to their classrooms.<br />
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Our resources for the workshop can be accessed <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mysterylocationcalls/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLf3KZnrLrzpte7oUyI8LTRascEyEIjeLnSpMk42-9PDpW_WnZugVfHIfDOKhLhTbDJNukeHWmk-P-q_lH7KvsPOqyMqyhQtBDPqavgktPEfek66VJPletYMftWZ4jsyLaWI6mMxPz18W/s1600/2014-06-29+15.37.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLf3KZnrLrzpte7oUyI8LTRascEyEIjeLnSpMk42-9PDpW_WnZugVfHIfDOKhLhTbDJNukeHWmk-P-q_lH7KvsPOqyMqyhQtBDPqavgktPEfek66VJPletYMftWZ4jsyLaWI6mMxPz18W/s1600/2014-06-29+15.37.08.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mappers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXwH4CS-omxANCJ1FxaB-32AhnEyOCuvjy2a64vRAg1XlBDh4Bn0AM9Kqnlyr2CxSasSDFvhus4TTmdalixe-Is46Ov5C3pg5I7L8FWCzfO7PoOSjy_iVHvP9hT3v_5Irxfpz1TKB2lKA/s1600/2014-06-29+15.13.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXwH4CS-omxANCJ1FxaB-32AhnEyOCuvjy2a64vRAg1XlBDh4Bn0AM9Kqnlyr2CxSasSDFvhus4TTmdalixe-Is46Ov5C3pg5I7L8FWCzfO7PoOSjy_iVHvP9hT3v_5Irxfpz1TKB2lKA/s1600/2014-06-29+15.13.56.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">My co-presenters - Jerry Blumengarten and Bill Krakower</td></tr>
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<b><u>#4thchat Face-To-Face Meeting</u></b><br />
I would finally get to meet the gals who co-moderate <a href="http://twitter.com/#4thchat" target="_blank">#4thchat </a>with me every Monday night at 8ET/7CT. I have been doing so with <a href="http://twitter.com/ncarroll24" target="_blank">Nancy Carroll</a> since the very beginning of #4thchat back in <a href="http://4thchat.wikispaces.com/Chat+Archives+Page+1" target="_blank">March of 2011</a>. When previous #4thchat creator and co-moderator <a href="https://twitter.com/jmplus2" target="_blank">Jeanne McQueen</a> (teaches 5th grade now), and previous co-moderator <a href="https://twitter.com/newfirewithin" target="_blank">Justin Stortz</a> needed to step away, we added <a href="http://twitter.com/jennregruth" target="_blank">Jennifer Regruth</a> to the team in 2012.<br />
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Nancy, Jenn, and I have also been collaborating most Sunday evenings via <a href="https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/" target="_blank">Google Hangouts</a> with 5 other educators. We chat and plan projects our students can do collaboratively. Our GHO group had submitted a proposal to present at ISTE, but unfortunately it wasn't accepted. I was thrilled when they decided to attend their first ISTE anyway. Seeing their little avatars on Twitter and their smiling faces on my computer screen during the GHOs still didn't prepare me properly for meeting them is person. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRvzUtESjL1irYX4EAPXfpC-5bahZ9Rc7zKJJhlN35UpYt3n034kSIiY4ihDNEMXfyJfpYnZtA4g0o2-iz9ZSnSMvoTMDf3ujtoN9LBCHgllLt1fhuVOBSnCrnRaiSSMglLNG8NMynywm/s1600/2014-07-06_4thchatChicks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRvzUtESjL1irYX4EAPXfpC-5bahZ9Rc7zKJJhlN35UpYt3n034kSIiY4ihDNEMXfyJfpYnZtA4g0o2-iz9ZSnSMvoTMDf3ujtoN9LBCHgllLt1fhuVOBSnCrnRaiSSMglLNG8NMynywm/s1600/2014-07-06_4thchatChicks.png" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
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The magical moment happended on Friday, June 27. I was eating lunch outside across the street from the convention center with <a href="http://twitter.com/janwells" target="_blank">Jan Wells</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KellyKastner" target="_blank">Kelly Kastner</a> when someone said, "Here come Jenn and Nancy." I remember jumping out of my chair and then feeling like I was trying to run underwater as I hurried to get to them for our first "real" hugs. We laughed, we cried, we hugged a lot. Jenn is much taller than I thought she'd be, and Nancy is much more petite.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgqELSXR0M4Eiir7VsT5lmZlOsEQ-CBFJfarMAt04ojMwb2rwkAPEs6JfniATBn9xVDug-CQv-XJDm9VSQfCSjzQPh_2eqo4wx9ZzvZ1h_0xgJpa0tPbA79-cZQ1Y6zTtKPnfO3V8KlHe/s1600/2014-06-30+11.07.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgqELSXR0M4Eiir7VsT5lmZlOsEQ-CBFJfarMAt04ojMwb2rwkAPEs6JfniATBn9xVDug-CQv-XJDm9VSQfCSjzQPh_2eqo4wx9ZzvZ1h_0xgJpa0tPbA79-cZQ1Y6zTtKPnfO3V8KlHe/s1600/2014-06-30+11.07.20.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paula, Nancy, and Jenn with Brad Wilson </td></tr>
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Our time together at ISTE wasn't enough. When it was time for them to leave, I couldn't bring myself to tell them goodbye. I was so sad and heartbroken that it had all come and gone so quickly. Luckily, I have memories of our time together that will last a lifetime and sustain me until the next time we meet face-to-face. Now our online exchanges have even stronger ties and bring back the great memories we made while at ISTE.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHHnW7XOfponfd0WB7XMnsNTfZsrbyQgOYnCjTfKIvgJ1rzMCqP0fFqDAn3Me5bl5b-cbtiY7uaW7Sj2qhfmbxQrPxn3fOQWQl1itLXzaEOF2kEA_dCz-Zsn09lMRUQfjTikePUE-F8NV/s1600/2014-06-29+20.47.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHHnW7XOfponfd0WB7XMnsNTfZsrbyQgOYnCjTfKIvgJ1rzMCqP0fFqDAn3Me5bl5b-cbtiY7uaW7Sj2qhfmbxQrPxn3fOQWQl1itLXzaEOF2kEA_dCz-Zsn09lMRUQfjTikePUE-F8NV/s1600/2014-06-29+20.47.44.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of our GHO gang- Jerry, Jenn, Bill, Nancy, nnd Paula</td></tr>
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Nancy and Jenn, I love you both and miss you so much.<br />
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<u><b>Reuniting with PLN Members and Meeting New Ones</b></u><br />
Some of you might know, I'm divorced, never had children, and don't have any surviving family members, so my friends, both in real life and online, are my family. My PLN (personal learning network) is near and dear to me.<br />
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For quite a few years now, I have paid my own way to ISTE and consider it my summer vacation. After all I'm going to what I consider a family reunion in whatever city ISTE happens to be visiting for the summer.<br />
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Those educators who have not experienced the thrill of meeting their online tweeps face-to-face just don't quite get it. Why would a person what to room with someone for a week that s/he has never met? Why would one what to spend lots of money sightseeing and traveling with people s/he barely know? Why would educators spend hours setting up Google documents to organize and arrange their "down time" while attending a huge conference like ISTE? The answer is simple. The people we are connected with online are more than just online aquaintances, they are more like family members. And we are thrilled to see them each summer at ISTE.<br />
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I know this to be true because as the last words of the closing ISTE keynote fade away, you can hear the buzz of plans being formulated to see each other at next year's ISTE. It warms my heart to see "newbies" like Jenn and Nancy excited to be a part of it all again next year.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">I hope to see you in Philadelphia for #ISTE2015. </span></b><br />
<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-17976471278430540392014-07-06T13:23:00.001-05:002014-07-06T13:23:59.190-05:00ISTE Unplugged 2014I always plan to arrive the day before ISTE officially starts so that I can attend <a href="http://www.isteunplugged.com/">ISTE Unplugged</a>. This great unconference is organized by Steve Hargadon, Audrey Watters, and Lucy Gray.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKjfWwhzz-axVmNdfWgMUAUAU4Q_UvbJOcuxpypVHmue9WagWsE8NLsKoDMgxsI5u0JnxjCH-nLeNRmUE1paCLqIpY3SNJIg9z3HCB4EOc05JzAN_ppcU1JuX8oOJOkuv3lJ4vWtq2B-1/s1600/2014-06-27+09.36.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKjfWwhzz-axVmNdfWgMUAUAU4Q_UvbJOcuxpypVHmue9WagWsE8NLsKoDMgxsI5u0JnxjCH-nLeNRmUE1paCLqIpY3SNJIg9z3HCB4EOc05JzAN_ppcU1JuX8oOJOkuv3lJ4vWtq2B-1/s1600/2014-06-27+09.36.33.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Steve Hargadon</span></div>
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On Friday, June 27, I attended <a href="http://www.isteunplugged.com/fri-627-hack-education.html" target="_blank">Hack Education</a> (formally EduBloggerCon) with about 300 other educators from 8-4. I was amazed that over half of the people in attendence were doing so for the first time. This event celebrated its 8th birthday this year. There was quite a buzz in the air as people connected or reconnected with members of their online PLN.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcRPd1okIdTOlup_TtRD2l0iEF-JMsLBwqcfzpITDUt7BzDwQwlu-MTu9CrT4hGoD1BPuA-GCKoxyKd23bRD2g2qNMk_BH94OIn-rjxMlHpr_-cdCaNmYGnfeqVmiHk11gNHpvjKIOmtA/s1600/2014-06-27+09.52.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcRPd1okIdTOlup_TtRD2l0iEF-JMsLBwqcfzpITDUt7BzDwQwlu-MTu9CrT4hGoD1BPuA-GCKoxyKd23bRD2g2qNMk_BH94OIn-rjxMlHpr_-cdCaNmYGnfeqVmiHk11gNHpvjKIOmtA/s1600/2014-06-27+09.52.07.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Some of the participants gathered for Hack Education </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjS_1DhgX12XoOi7uCsvx3ck7IiFsc0yYmn-9tkKHzEwsq67PS7LJsf3iM0Iv5CJWpnd5TWQVuoMaIgiu1i3mKH9e5jzmH1fM6T0TGt3o80yhETPGiZoEYJm1GMiUO6e7aVOCfaN14yBk/s1600/2014-06-27+08.31.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjS_1DhgX12XoOi7uCsvx3ck7IiFsc0yYmn-9tkKHzEwsq67PS7LJsf3iM0Iv5CJWpnd5TWQVuoMaIgiu1i3mKH9e5jzmH1fM6T0TGt3o80yhETPGiZoEYJm1GMiUO6e7aVOCfaN14yBk/s1600/2014-06-27+08.31.28.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My Mentor from Classroom 2.0 Live Peggy George</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz-8TRzkO8GsCuVtGf77XU-z78mjhfU9EtxTVdmJaTfT0TCzytPC28y4bIRL8I-Ob6tyhe0DE5hXNmErQdXLEJ3XAEF0P_yLLmHqhD5lEMbS47UaaonCgX4sUI4Ha_5NSb_BKfXWu_UhR/s1600/ISTEUnPlugged.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz-8TRzkO8GsCuVtGf77XU-z78mjhfU9EtxTVdmJaTfT0TCzytPC28y4bIRL8I-Ob6tyhe0DE5hXNmErQdXLEJ3XAEF0P_yLLmHqhD5lEMbS47UaaonCgX4sUI4Ha_5NSb_BKfXWu_UhR/s1600/ISTEUnPlugged.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reconnecting this year with <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/116790174500794650942" target="_blank">+Anibal Pacheco</a> Photo Credit - <a href="https://twitter.com/MyClassFlow" target="_blank">@MyClassFlow</a></span><br />
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The participants determine how the day will be structured by suggesting a discussion they would like to see facilitated. The sessions are then voted on and <a href="http://wiki.isteunplugged.com/" target="_blank">the schedule</a> is made. I attended sessions on Leadership in a Digital Age, Digital Citizenship, <a href="http://bit.ly/1qJaS4E" target="_blank">Building Teacher/Student PLNs Using Social Media</a>, and helped facilitate Twitter Tips for Newbies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsVYpNPSKW1Wz19j1Ymz9RAJym97kOZ6phD3QnrBUYfH7SjNwJioS05e-_NFdSlYxPYzmlKjQB8gXiGF64lg5NFgXpWT5gVRypOIdxVCNsr_6M7eTtEF_9N0ITIacn8NmJKTralJe-8fa/s1600/HackEDDigCit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsVYpNPSKW1Wz19j1Ymz9RAJym97kOZ6phD3QnrBUYfH7SjNwJioS05e-_NFdSlYxPYzmlKjQB8gXiGF64lg5NFgXpWT5gVRypOIdxVCNsr_6M7eTtEF_9N0ITIacn8NmJKTralJe-8fa/s1600/HackEDDigCit.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Digital Citizenship Discussion Photo Credit - Kristy Vincent</span><br />
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The conversations are rich and thought-provoking and I always learn new things to take back to my classroom. My Big 3 Takeaways from this year are: </div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Digital Citizenship should become just Citizenship (thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/TanyaAvrith" target="_blank">@TanyaAvrith</a>) and needs to be taught daily. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Get parents more involved in all that I do with my students especially when using social media.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Help my students build their learning networks through global collaborations and projects. </span></li>
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Here are some more pictures I took during this event. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bwnlJIAMPSEszT9n8HhJdfOvz2ubjGacosP38rJVZWXWae7YNc-eq-dbP27hdWY-ATU8lyn7YGdKyFR_nzHkZwb6aqQRCNYuxTE4k_7PLUILDFVmMVl7vCbmm5xCIYys-lEWYE5XayCO/s1600/2014-06-27+09.33.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bwnlJIAMPSEszT9n8HhJdfOvz2ubjGacosP38rJVZWXWae7YNc-eq-dbP27hdWY-ATU8lyn7YGdKyFR_nzHkZwb6aqQRCNYuxTE4k_7PLUILDFVmMVl7vCbmm5xCIYys-lEWYE5XayCO/s1600/2014-06-27+09.33.00.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing <a href="https://twitter.com/wterral" target="_blank">Wanda Terral</a>'s Google Glass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFan5Y_NluAfsokpcY3-R64jHgXJUBRY3fQrQGd0LUJIRUAT_LLmLqLStEVJRF8m6ERmOZ3z5zdQdYOtkCBRD8Up5_37jvqZ2RHPQC-cwTvKLmF0gqRyKCSS6W_dOtWCNCGLZH4Xu22ml/s1600/2014-06-27+10.00.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFan5Y_NluAfsokpcY3-R64jHgXJUBRY3fQrQGd0LUJIRUAT_LLmLqLStEVJRF8m6ERmOZ3z5zdQdYOtkCBRD8Up5_37jvqZ2RHPQC-cwTvKLmF0gqRyKCSS6W_dOtWCNCGLZH4Xu22ml/s1600/2014-06-27+10.00.05.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/paulaboston" target="_blank">Paula Boston</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/htemske" target="_blank">Heather Temske</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjzLmyPryQYH1Ll3GnkFgcz_ONKqBhBqQXC-jb4sVGAzBFOY7aB0xy7B-xRW0Eqe73iykZ4y8RmqKn4yJMmHkYDuhRi6nqAIHCgaVwM2l0stHnBNXNLrkmEYpGoWIgQ5ZRcJF5177CpmT/s1600/2014-06-27+10.00.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjzLmyPryQYH1Ll3GnkFgcz_ONKqBhBqQXC-jb4sVGAzBFOY7aB0xy7B-xRW0Eqe73iykZ4y8RmqKn4yJMmHkYDuhRi6nqAIHCgaVwM2l0stHnBNXNLrkmEYpGoWIgQ5ZRcJF5177CpmT/s1600/2014-06-27+10.00.30.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/blairteach" target="_blank">Nancy Blair</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Len_Horn" target="_blank">Len Horn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/TrainMyTeacher" target="_blank">Karrie Vitti</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMPU7udE1mdkdZr04hpqxKMn5URfwjZJJdsz2pH0YyCCUI-uhrkdgDLYqKSQdgTHYgXN3tL-fPdwTWX4hLJJZgTxD29FWeQlMjYxuQUoih19zQeCUEqm8QT2GTFAxOUBbkyg0Pdhx3bpG/s1600/2014-06-27+10.02.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMPU7udE1mdkdZr04hpqxKMn5URfwjZJJdsz2pH0YyCCUI-uhrkdgDLYqKSQdgTHYgXN3tL-fPdwTWX4hLJJZgTxD29FWeQlMjYxuQUoih19zQeCUEqm8QT2GTFAxOUBbkyg0Pdhx3bpG/s1600/2014-06-27+10.02.03.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thenerdyteacher" target="_blank">Nick Provenzano</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/woscholar" target="_blank">Scott Floyd</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/bethstill" target="_blank">Beth Still</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AnibalPachecoIT" target="_blank">Anibal Pacheco</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QRPrZbsfZb3p9LUMM-V6WxPqZJIzrNPQ7lQP7fyPPO74KmpKXz9h-MfY5ovGuf0WjnV7GlVIKXRq69HSZODWZl8WkYxVQ-r1fPt8OAuDFIkFkWUnGjtKHWzPZn3J8GG4K2nckH33YTLY/s1600/2014-06-27+10.08.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QRPrZbsfZb3p9LUMM-V6WxPqZJIzrNPQ7lQP7fyPPO74KmpKXz9h-MfY5ovGuf0WjnV7GlVIKXRq69HSZODWZl8WkYxVQ-r1fPt8OAuDFIkFkWUnGjtKHWzPZn3J8GG4K2nckH33YTLY/s1600/2014-06-27+10.08.08.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/rmbyrne" target="_blank">Richard Byrne</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/teach42" target="_blank">Steve Dembo</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOeWzMdeZJsegIFpFmm8XmlsWQgBysqy1OFjgc2XiMPh437cWWwsm6zrX6DmTd4hCjOewEGT_TuQOj0NzVo8lCO6H65Qe7GzEd-bU5R-pdsFCEBuz4ZhD-M1GLFsvb_Ndpt9spy_kEq29/s1600/2014-06-27+11.42.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOeWzMdeZJsegIFpFmm8XmlsWQgBysqy1OFjgc2XiMPh437cWWwsm6zrX6DmTd4hCjOewEGT_TuQOj0NzVo8lCO6H65Qe7GzEd-bU5R-pdsFCEBuz4ZhD-M1GLFsvb_Ndpt9spy_kEq29/s1600/2014-06-27+11.42.41.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twitter.com/wkrakower" target="_blank">Billy Krakower</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/s_bearden" target="_blank">Susan Bearden</a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Check out all of the tweets from #HackEd14 in </span><a href="https://storify.com/craigyen/hacked14-before-iste2014" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">this Storify</a><span style="text-align: center;"> thanks to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/CraigYen" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Craig Yen</a><span style="text-align: center;">. Craig did a fabulous job of curating links for those #notatISTE. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Did you attend #HackEd2014? What are your Big 3 Takeaways? </span></b></span></div>
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PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-84754324655121249972014-07-04T14:12:00.000-05:002014-07-04T14:42:21.120-05:00So Glad I Went to #ISTE2014 EarlyLast year at ISTE in San Antonio, my dear friend from Hawaii, <a href="http://twitter.com/JoAnnJacobs68" target="_blank">JoAnn Jacobs</a>, and I made a pact to arrive in Atlanta early so that we could spend some quality time with each other before the craziness that is ISTE begins. And am I glad we did!<br />
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JoAnn, and I met up at the airport in Atlanta on the Wednesday before ISTE along with <a href="http://twitter.com/janwells" target="_blank">Jan Wells</a>, my buddy from Kansas. (Read about my first F2F meeting with Jan <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/06/meeting-my-skype-buddy.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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We shared a shuttle ride to drop off JoAnn off at her hotel, and Jan and I checked into our condo at the Peachtree Towers Condos that we were sharing with <a href="http://twitter.com/bethstill" target="_blank">Beth Still</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Mrskmpeters" target="_blank">Kristina Peters</a>. After getting settled in, we met JoAnn for dinner at <a href="http://alma-atlanta.com/" target="_blank">Alma Cocina</a>, an upscale Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a relaxing time catching up. After returning to the condo, Kristina graciously helped me update my iPhone so I could download the Voxer app. She set up a Voxer group for Beth, Jan, me, and herself and dubbed us the "Peachtree Peaches". </div>
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On Thursday we had a full day of sightseeing and meeting other friends who also decided to arrive early. JoAnn, Jan, Beth, and I started our day at 9:00 at the Georgia Aquarium. I love our aquarium in New Orleans, but was awed by this one. </div>
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We had tickets for the 11:30 showing of Dolphin Tales and it was fabulous. So glad we booked this show and that Beth talked me into seating in the third row. I was worried about getting wet but that didn't happen. What did happen was we had a terrific view of the show. I LOVE dolphins. </div>
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Next we had a nice lunch at <a href="http://www.bajafresh.com/" target="_blank">BajaFresh</a> with friends from all over the US. In the picture are Margie Rogers (MO), Jan (KS), Carrie Ross (TX), Kristy Vincent (TX), Beth Still (NE), me (LA), Adam Bellow (NY), JoAnn (HI), and Michelle Baldwin (CO). </div>
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Then we headed to the <a href="http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/" target="_blank">World of Coca-Cola</a>. Besides tasting different Coke flavors from around the world, we enjoyed the 4D show complete with 3D glasses. It gave us lots of laughs. </div>
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Jerry Blumengarten and Bill Krakower met us right after we finished the Coke tour. I love Jerry's sign. </div>
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Our day ended with a gathering for dinner at <a href="http://www.sweetgeorgiasjukejoint.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint</a>. What a great place! We had a table right up front for the jazz band that played that night. <a href="http://themartans.com/about-us" target="_blank">The Mar-tans</a> play a mixture of New Orleans funk and R&B, but I like to think they were playing in honor of those of us from the NOLA area. Great times with great friends, great food and music, and even a little moonshine. I even lead a second line around the place when the Mar-tans played Mardi Gras Mambo. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Susie Toso (<a href="https://twitter.com/SusieToso" target="_blank">@SusieToso</a>), Jan Wells (<a href="https://twitter.com/janwells" target="_blank">@JanWells</a>), Marcie Hebert (<a href="https://twitter.com/mrsmhebert" target="_blank">@mrsmhebert</a>), Amanda, Martin (<a href="http://mandymartin1021/" target="_blank">@mandymartin1021</a>), me, Jerry Blumengarten (<a href="https://twitter.com/cybraryman1" target="_blank">@Cybraryman1</a>), Bill Krakower (<a href="https://twitter.com/wkrakower" target="_blank">@wkrakower</a>), JoAnn Jacobs (<a href="https://twitter.com/JoAnnJacobs68" target="_blank">@JoAnnJacobs68</a>), and Margie Rogers (<a href="https://twitter.com/mawrogers" target="_blank">@mawrogers</a>). </span><br />
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We had an awesome day in Atlanta and were definitely ready for some shut-eye. If you are going to attend #ISTE2015 in Philadelphia and plan to do some sightseeing while there, I would strongly suggest going early to do so. I am always so tired when ISTE ends that all I want to do is go home and sleep for a couple of days. </div>
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JoAnn and I started making plans for next year even before we left Atlanta. So start making your plans and arrive early in Philly. I hope to see you there.</div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-77815815750538618542014-06-22T12:56:00.001-05:002014-06-22T12:58:47.553-05:00My First Animated Google SlideToday I learned how to make an animated slideshow using Google presentations. I happended upon this <a href="http://www.mypaperlessclassroom.com/2014/06/creating-classic-cell-style-animation.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/SamPatue" target="_blank">Sam Patterson</a> and after watching the YouTube video on his post, I decided to give it a try.<br />
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I created my first slide using one of my own photos and then duplicated it so that I had 12 slides (to go with the 12 frames a second formula). I decided to use an image of a duck moving across the bottom of my slide. I did a quick search on Google images. I made sure I used the advanced search feature so that I found an image I had permission to use. Then I simply put the duck image on the right side of the first slide and on each following slide, I moved the image over to the left a little bit until the image was at the left side of slide 12.<br />
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After I went through Sam's directions to get the link to the animated show, I decided to make it a little more interesting by adding another image. So off to Google images I went and I found the starburst image to add. Again I used the advanced search feature to make sure I had permission to use the image. I duplicated my first 12 slides and added the starburst to slides 7-24 making it slightly larger each time. On the last three slides I inserted a text box and added the word WOW. What I truly love about Google is all my changes were automatically updated in the link Google provided me.<br />
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Below is my finished results. Click on the play button and see for yourself.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a2yFYjXHOrV37QEprRt7jAUjSOtrxBDB2QHu4DMPU00/embed?start=false&loop=true&delayms=0084" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The original link after I published my Google Presentation to the web. Notice that it is set for 1000. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a2yFYjXHOrV37QEprRt7jAUjSOtrxBDB2QHu4DMPU00/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=1000" style="text-decoration: none;">https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a2yFYjXHOrV37QEprRt7jAUjSOtrxBDB2QHu4DMPU00/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=1000</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><br /></u></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My edited link where I changed the timing to 0084 so it shows at roughly 12 frames per second.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a2yFYjXHOrV37QEprRt7jAUjSOtrxBDB2QHu4DMPU00/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=0084" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a2yFYjXHOrV37QEprRt7jAUjSOtrxBDB2QHu4DMPU00/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=0084</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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Image credits: Duck - <a href="http://goo.gl/XtvVxz">http://goo.gl/XtvVxz</a><br />
Starburst - <a href="http://goo.gl/U2ytSH">http://goo.gl/U2ytSH</a><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>So give it a try and let me know in the comments what you think. How could you see using this technique in your classroom? </b></span><br />
<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-54369803858772686852014-04-15T23:08:00.000-05:002014-04-15T23:08:36.734-05:00Our Inaugural #LAedchat - April 15, 2014Sometimes bouncing ideas off of others makes them happen. While attending the Google Summit in Lake Charles back in February, <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsmhebert" target="_blank">Marcie Hebert</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/nkellogg" target="_blank">Nate Kellogg</a> and I had a conversation about Louisiana needing to start a state edchat. We set a date to do a Google Hangout (GHO) after we returned home from the Summit and #LAedchat was born.<br />
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Nate crafted an awesome logo. We created a <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/louisianaedchat/" target="_blank">website</a>. We set a date and picked a topic. During our second GHO the weekend before our inaugural chat, we shared a Google document, and created our list of questions, found some resources to share out during the chat, and discussed who we each should contact, and how we should spread the word about #LAedchat.<br />
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I was a little nervous as I fired up TweetDeck on my laptop and got ready to participate at 7:00 this evening. Would there be others beside Marcie, Nathan, and I taking part in the chat? Well, my nerves quickly faded as the tweets with the hashtag #LAedchat started streaming. Our topic - Being a Connected Educator - was attracting participation from lots of educators from Louisiana, other states, and even another country.<br />
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Special shout-outs to:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/librarian_tiff" target="_blank">Tiffany Whitehead</a> for having several of her fellow teachers and her principal join in for #LAedchat</li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/NgMarlon" target="_blank">Marlon Ng</a> for joining in from Hong Kong and giving us a international connection </li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/carl_gaines" target="_blank">Carl Gaines</a> for always be such a great supporter of Louisiana educators</li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/kcalderw" target="_blank">Kyle Calderwood</a> who remind me that I introduced him to Twitter and is now paying it forward with <a href="http://en2t.weebly.com/" target="_blank">this initiative</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/bethhill2829" target="_blank">Bethany Hill</a> for sharing this great picture - </li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<a href="https://twitter.com/plnaugle">@plnaugle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dayankee">@dayankee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JPPSS">@JPPSS</a> Oh goodness! The social media and tech are not the problem... <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23laedchat&src=hash">#laedchat</a> <a href="http://t.co/E0aNOXvhbe">pic.twitter.com/E0aNOXvhbe</a><br />
— Bethany Hill (@bethhill2829) <a href="https://twitter.com/bethhill2829/statuses/456231180392607744">April 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Our inagural #LAedchat was inspiring and I look forward to next month's chat. Thanks Marcie and Nate. We did it!<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-89214922957654771022014-03-03T11:48:00.003-06:002014-03-03T11:48:46.602-06:00Showing Up in an Indiana STEM News Coverage VideoBeing a connected educator means that you have a network of people most refer to as a personal learning network (PLN). I am so fourtunate to have established an amazing PLN and sometimes they let me know when my name pops up in unusual places. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/techyturner" target="_blank">Rodney Turner</a> for sending out a tweet letting me know that my name shows up in the Twitter stream near the end of this video news story about STEM education from Indiana. (3:23)<br />
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You are mentioned in this video about STEM in Indiana. <a href="http://t.co/vgVF1P1OGo">http://t.co/vgVF1P1OGo</a> 3:20 <a href="https://twitter.com/j_allen">@j_allen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/pernilleripp">@pernilleripp</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/missmac100">@missmac100</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/plnaugle">@plnaugle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mrbadura">@mrbadura</a><br />
— Rodney Turner (@techyturner) <a href="https://twitter.com/techyturner/statuses/435873564126752768">February 18, 2014</a></blockquote>
I love being a connected educator. <span style="color: red;">Are YOU a connected educator?</span> <br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-77123510709487152452014-01-20T00:06:00.000-06:002014-01-20T00:09:02.164-06:00Can Teachers Allow Students to be Quirky (Creative) in Our Standardized Schools?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/plugusin/8613807484/</span></div>
I recently discovered this picture from Bill Ferriter (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plugusin/" target="_blank">William M. Ferriter on Flickr</a>) and it got me thinking. I teach in a public school where high stakes testing drives so much of what we do. We are fully implementing the Common Core State Standards this year, but are still tied to our state's LEAP test for accountability. My fourth graders must score Basic or above on the ELA and math portions of the test if they are to be promoted to the 5th grade.<br />
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Is standardization really the best thing for the kids in my classroom? Sure, many students tow the line and learn how to "play school" well. They do the assignments, prepare for the tests, and for the most part follow the rules. But what about the "quirky" ones - the free spirits, the ones will very little support from home, the ones who like to test the status quo? What happens to the ones who don't "play school" well?<br />
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I pride myself on being an innovation educator. My students have tech-infused lessons on a daily basis. We communicate and collaborate with other classes around the country and around the globe. But are Mystery Location Calls, commenting on each other's blogs, and shared projects enough? <br />
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There have been so many days this year that I feel I am sucking the life out of my students, especially the "quirky" ones. I want to give each and every one of them Genius Hour to pursue their passion project. I want to let each one create awesome digital stories or paper slide videos or Minecraft projects, but that is not preparing them for "the test" that will arrive in the spring.<br />
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How many of our students remember us as the one who helped prepare them for the standardized test? I have had former students visit me and talk about the bread we baked and the butter we made, the pumpkins we scooped out and the seeds we roasted, the time we all cried at the end of the class novel I read aloud to them, the holiday card exchange we participated in and all the places we pinned on our map. Not one ever mentioned learning the times tables or the parts of speech.<br />
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I want all the kids in my classroom, especially the quirky ones, to feel valued and not to feel that I am trying to make them a data point that supposedly validates them as a learner. I want them to know that their opinions and ideas matter. I want them to believe that anything they dream is possible. <b>So how do I accomplish that in this day of standardization?</b><br />
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<b>How do you manage innovation, curiosity, and creativity in your classroom?</b><br />
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-88183633161771077862014-01-05T11:04:00.000-06:002014-06-03T15:46:40.250-05:00BC5 - "Flipped" HomeworkMy district requires our students to take four interval assessments during the year leading up to state testing in April. While these assessments provide lots of data about how my students are progressing in math, I like to do lots of <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them" target="_blank">formative assessment</a> to track how my students are doing on a daily basis. Since we are fully implementing the <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards" target="_blank">Common Core State Standards (CCSS)</a> this year, I want to make sure my daily lessons are properly aligned to the fourth grade math standards so that my students are properly prepared to move on.<br />
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I decided to create weekly homework sheets that address the CCSS. I also added a very important twist. Homework would be mostly done in the classroom. Basically, I was "flipping" homework. Each Monday my students receive their weekly math homework sheet which has problems for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on it aligned to the CCSS. (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JORWKYKSqhAx9QvHofvnfV5vSgcVAFrs9qULEEh9zco/edit" target="_blank">Click here to see full size Google doc</a>.)<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1foMhjA2slnQ6-d0fNUnTIUbaSGA7sxCgq7Wf8O1SK8o/edit" target="_blank">Here is another example</a> of one of my homework sheets that has new skills and review skills on it. </div>
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I have two math classes that I teach for 90 minutes each day. After I teach my lesson for the day, my students rotate through math stations. I use the word MATH to set up our stations. A and H are done every day by every student. M and T are done as needed or as time allows. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b> M</b></span> - Manipulatives - Students work with hands-on materials or play games to reinforce skills.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"> <b>A</b></span> - At the Computer - Students complete work on websites such as IXL, LearnZillion, TenMarks</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">T</span></b> - Teacher Time - This is where they meet with me for small group instruction.</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"> H</span></b> - Have a Go - This is where they work on their assignment and homework for the day. </div>
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By allowing my students to work on their math homework in class, I am there to offer support and correct misconceptions that arise. If for some reason a student doesn't finish their homework in class then it must be completed at home. I have my students show their homework to their parents each night and have the parents sign it. Each day we check the previous day's work via our interactive whiteboard. I pull up the Google document and we annotate right over it to show solutions. </div>
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Using this type of formative assessment is really allowing me to see each day how my students are doing in math. It has also eliminated so many of the stresses that traditional homework can cause. Each and every one of my students is having their needs met on a daily basis. Once a skill is taught and tested, my students know they will be held accountable to remember it. </div>
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<b style="color: red;">Have you considered, or do you "flip" homework? What do you use for formative assessment? </b>Please share in the comment section below. </div>
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(This post is part of the <a href="http://kellyhines.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/self-initiated-blogging-challenge/" target="_blank">blogging challenge</a> being hosted by Kelly Hines.)</div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-87486463955233150242014-01-04T15:46:00.002-06:002014-01-04T16:37:01.515-06:00BC4 - A Project I Will Repeat This YearWe aren't in school this week so I'll share a project from last year that I plan on doing with my students again this year.<br />
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I learned about <a href="http://www.thinglink.com/" target="_blank">Thinglink</a> from <a href="http://d97cooltools.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Susan Oxnevad</a>. It is a website that allows you to turn any iamge into an interactive one with hotspots called nubbins. (Just scroll over the image and the interactive nubbins will appear, then click on it to be taken to another site.) You create an account, upload an image and then link anything with a URL to your image. here is one of my first Thinglinks.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.thinglink.com/card/276214604390989826" type="text/html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="550"></iframe>
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After I played around with this tool, I thought of a way to use it with my students. I would have them create animal reports using Thinglink. Since they are too young to create accounts, I created another account on Thinglink and used my classroom name on it. I then went over the requirements of the report with my students.<br />
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They had to find an image of their animal that was licensed for reuse, and the first nubbin they would add to their Thinglink was the link to the original image. They then had to find three online resources where they would gather facts for their report, and one non YouTube video about their animal. All of these sites where added to their Thinglink. The next step was to write their animal report as a post to their kiblog and embed their Thinglink into the post.<br />
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Check out Chloe's Hedgehog Thinglink. (One of the nubbins takes you to her report on her blog.)<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.thinglink.com/card/345638290872860673" type="text/html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
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Here is Mariam's Butterfly Thinglink.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.thinglink.com/card/346106532955422720" type="text/html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
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After we finished the animal reports, my students begged me to let them do other projects using Thinglink. Here is one by Joshua that he made as part of his Passion Project.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.thinglink.com/card/346083393018003456" type="text/html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
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My fourth graders and I will definitely be using Thinglink to create some projects this year. <br />
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<b style="color: red;">Have you ever used Thinglink? What is a favorite project you will repeat with your students? </b>Please share in the comments.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.875px;">My dear friend, DEN Guru </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/kellyhines" style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #aa5557; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kelly Hines</a><span style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.875px;">, posted this</span><a href="http://kellyhines.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/self-initiated-blogging-challenge/" style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #aa5557; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> blogging challenge</a>.<span style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.875px;"> </span></div>
PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-23263187599525387792014-01-03T11:58:00.000-06:002014-01-03T11:58:17.867-06:00BC3 - A Website I Can't Live WithoutIt is so hard to pick just one! But since this is today's challenge (thanks to <a href="http://kellyhines.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/self-initiated-blogging-challenge/" target="_blank">Kelly Hines</a>), I choose Twitter. Why you ask? Well, because of Twitter and the amazing PLN (personal learning network) I've created since joining in 2009, my teaching has been transformed.<br />
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<a href="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/13/07/24/76953/twitter-logo-bird.gif?t=20130724122337" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/13/07/24/76953/twitter-logo-bird.gif?t=20130724122337" height="182" width="200" /></a></div>
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Twitter offers me professional development (PD) 24/7. If I need a resource for my classroom, a read aloud book recommendation, have a tech question, need to understand the lastest tool or app, I turn to Twitter for help.<br />
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Because of tweets sent out by members of my PLN, I've been able to attend conference sessions that are being lived streamed while I sit in the comfort of my home. I've learned about the newest innovative strategies such as the "flipped classroom". I've been invited to participate in webinars, podcasts, and presentations far and wide. I've been lead to the best resources to help me implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I've learned how to use webtools in my classroom such as Edmodo, Thinglink, animoto, and Google Hangouts.<br />
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I love participating I edchats on Twitter. I am a moderator for #4thchat on Mondays at 7 PM CST and am one of the hosts for #DENchat on Thursdays at 7 PM CST. Through these chats, which are focused around a weekly topic for discussion, I am continually learning new things which I can take back to my classroom.<br />
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My friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/web20classroom" target="_blank">Steven W. Anderson</a> (@web20classroom), shared a very helpful hint for those of you who aren't on Twitter, or who have an account but don't "get" Twitter. He suggests to go to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/search">http://www.twitter.com/search</a> and enter a hashtag such as #edchat, #4thchat, #engchat, #CCSS, and just view the tweets that hashtag will generate. In seconds you have a stream of tweets organized around a hashtag which relates to something you what to know more about. The tweets will often include links to articles, websites, blog posts, etc. which will help you learn more about the topic.<br />
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Some resources to help you learn to love Twitter as much as I do:<br />
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<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/34291" target="_blank">An Educator's Guide to Twitter</a> (Livebinder) by Steven W. Anderson <a href="http://twitter.com/web2oclassroom" target="_blank">@web20classroom</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.coolcatteacher.com/videos/participate-twitter-chat-txeduchat/" target="_blank">How to Participate in an Twitter Chat</a> (blog post) by Vicki Davis <a href="http://twitter.com/coolcatteacher" target="_blank">@coolcatteacher</a></li>
<li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CkUrFNr3ZThZXLh4kwk9rk-wQlwfcg8YL9zVx1R_C2s/edit" target="_blank">Index to Educational Hashtags</a> (Google Doc) by Chiew Pang<span id="docs-internal-guid-1fdeddf8-5932-f573-52be-137d33602724"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/aClilToClimb">@aClilToClimb</a></span></span></li>
<li><a href="http://cybraryman.com/twitter.html" target="_blank">Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites - Twitter</a> by Jerry Blumengarten <a href="http://twitter.com/cybraryman1" target="_blank">@cybraryman1</a></li>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Do you love Twitter as much as I do? Why/Why not? What is you favorite website? </b></span></div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-48189606541699315862014-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:002014-01-02T07:00:06.088-06:00BC2 - A Classroom Organizational Tip - Lost and FoundI'm not sure what is it about 4th graders who change classes during the school day, but beware if they find someting at or near the desk they use in my classroom. Just as I am starting that wonderful hook to get them pumped up for today's lesson, a student will want to interrrupt to let me know (s)he found something left by a previous student.<br />
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This use to happen a lot in my classroom, but no more! I put a small bookcase just inside my classroom door. It only has two shelves. The bottom shelf holds reference books for my students to use while doing research projects. The top shelf stopped the interruptions about "Found" items. How? I put a big label on it "Lost and Found". Now when a student finds something belonging to someone else, they simply put it on the shelf. I teach each class procedures for using the shelf and it was ended the problem of interruptions. One of my classroom jobs is a Lost and Found Custodian. At the end of each day, that student is responsilbe for returning all items to their rightful owners. This is usually very easy becasue all of the teachers on my team make a big deal of our students labeling everything they own with their names. Sometimes an item has no such label, so it is returned neatly to the shelf and is eventually "found" by its owner. </div>
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There are many times when my classroom door has quietly opened, a student has entered as quietly as a mouse, and a missing item has been collected without causing any kind of interruption to the class because every student I teach knows exactly where to look. I love how well my "Lost and Found" shelf works. </div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Do you have a designated Lost and Found in your classroom? What is one of your favorite organizational tips?</span></b> Please share in the comment section.<br />
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(Thanks to my dear friend, DEN Guru <a href="https://twitter.com/kellyhines" target="_blank">Kelly Hines</a>, for hosting <a href="http://kellyhines.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/self-initiated-blogging-challenge/" target="_blank">this blogging challenge</a>. )PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-78370862152279640362014-01-01T14:44:00.000-06:002014-01-01T14:44:41.224-06:00BC1 - My Favorite BookMy dear friend, DEN Guru <a href="http://www.twitter.com/kellyhines" target="_blank">Kelly Hines</a>, posted <a href="http://kellyhines.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/self-initiated-blogging-challenge/" target="_blank">a blogging challenge</a> and I decided to accept the challenge.<br />
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When I taught reading my favorite read aloud for my 4th graders was <u>Stone Fox</u> by John Reynolds Gardiner. While I no longer teach a reading class, I have decided for the New Year I'm going to do read alouds with my social studies class, and I will begin with my favorite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT9-n77ApboY10jm8LRIqQCXTDwAGVR56jgHTOOdglueApQ-6pmSQXtxo1GPcTRuKonmS2PLukOBnAw3fI9Pj623V8y2mWJKC9e-6toVYWBvZxgfYu2lrh7riMj0pfD5o4RVzFRTi1ccp/s1600/51xxMEvG5bL._BO2204203200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-clickTopRight35-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT9-n77ApboY10jm8LRIqQCXTDwAGVR56jgHTOOdglueApQ-6pmSQXtxo1GPcTRuKonmS2PLukOBnAw3fI9Pj623V8y2mWJKC9e-6toVYWBvZxgfYu2lrh7riMj0pfD5o4RVzFRTi1ccp/s1600/51xxMEvG5bL._BO2204203200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-clickTopRight35-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div>
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Why? First, I believe reading aloud to students helps build a strong sense of community within a classroom. Second, every student should understand that reading is not just for reading class. Third, nuturing a love for reading should be happening in every classroom.<br />
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So beginning when we return from our winter break, I will be reading <u>Stone Fox</u> to my students. I know that I will not get through the last few pages without crying, because I do so each time I read it. <u>Stone Fox</u> is such a great story of how determination can help you archieve a goal. Willie, Searchlight, Grandfather, and Stone Fox are all literary characters that I want my students to know and learn from.<br />
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I will tie the reading of this novel into my social studies curriculum by using the project ideas posted on <a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0211900/fox/stone_fox.htm" target="_blank">this ThinkQuest from Oracle</a>. <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Have you read <u>Stone Fox</u>? What is your favorite read aloud for this age group?</span></b> Please share in the comment section.<br />
<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-20868615872341697092013-06-30T13:53:00.000-05:002013-06-30T13:53:43.140-05:00So Inspiring - RIP Dr. Rita PiersonI only recently discovered Dr. Rita Pierson as the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion.html" target="_blank">link to her inspirational TED talk</a> made the rounds on Twitter. I have watched her talk several times and know it is one I will continue to revisit and share with others. What a great message! As we mourn her passing, let's remember to celebrate her life by truly living her message -<br />
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"Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best they can possibly be." </blockquote>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="215" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="360"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://blog.ted.com/2013/06/29/dr-rita-pierson-the-ted-community-reflects/" target="_blank">Read messages left by some of the TED community</a> on their blog in loving memory of Dr. Rita Pierson.PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-13363363648303899702013-06-17T12:49:00.000-05:002014-07-06T14:12:34.747-05:00Newbie/Social Butterfly Lounge Calendar for ISTE13I am so excited to be attending ISTE13 in San Antonio this year. This will be my seventh ISTE, but I clearly remember my very first one. As a newbie, I wish I had known about having a PLN (personal learning network) back in 2004, when I attended for the first time in my home town of New Orleans. I didn't attend again until 2008 and still didn't have a PLN, so I enjoyed it, but again wished I could have had a better way to network with others.<br />
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Things were different when I attended in 2009 in Washington, D.C. My PLN (lead by <a href="https://twitter.com/BethStill" target="_blank">@bethstill</a>) made that ISTE experience so much more rewarding. Every year since then I have made an effort to help newbies in any way that I can. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This year at ISTE I plan to volunteer much of my time in the Newbie/Social Butterfly Lounge which will be located in <span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; line-height: 24px;">the West Registration Lobby. Please look for me</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; line-height: 24px;"> and I'll help you in any way that I can. </span></span></div>
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<br />PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-24966543549599916712013-06-08T10:36:00.001-05:002013-06-08T10:45:52.323-05:00Love This Google Doc Extension<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're like me and use Chrome as your browser and Google Docs with your students, you're going to love the Chrome extension Read&Write for Google Docs. You simply go to the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/apps?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon" target="_blank">Chrome Web Store</a> and search for Read&Write. Click on the Add to Chrome button and after a few prompts you have to respond to it will be added. When you open a Google Doc you will see a new addition to the toolbar. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiaAOmjBkiaMKjws0V1mLeqQTsHK3A0hZhzvWgGcPvjNnWiJHI_jC6G9ctkY-rZL5S2FlujGlJxfkXghbMhbvPmQl7bmPXOfIEmCy21V6kv-S9tjBNUvpZBdcetiotvnyqM2vRHt1XwIP/s1600/2013-06-08_Read%2526WriteToolbar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiaAOmjBkiaMKjws0V1mLeqQTsHK3A0hZhzvWgGcPvjNnWiJHI_jC6G9ctkY-rZL5S2FlujGlJxfkXghbMhbvPmQl7bmPXOfIEmCy21V6kv-S9tjBNUvpZBdcetiotvnyqM2vRHt1XwIP/s400/2013-06-08_Read%2526WriteToolbar.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now all of your students have access UDL features such as a text-to-speech tool, a dictionary and image dictionary, a fact finder, and a translator while working within a Google Doc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favorite feature is the Vocabulary builder (the last icon on the toolbar). I tried it out and created a vocablary list. What I really love is that a student can add notes to the last column and the vocabulary list can be saved, printed, or copy and pasted into a new Google Doc. (I noticed the date, which is automatically added, is in the European format. I created this list on June 8, 2013.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAXC7R71wQpHUF_0PF6652aEYiPgjbYPPYn_mDiESlkjPpRPFZ38GUnjM3QWBM6DIhsU7qSPJNmSkAURtxPJWVngrw462DW13xjOaZGRtVRBKIhhYyEPWu0Xtomi7YKffCqxvTvszwzzS/s1600/2013-06-08_VocList.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAXC7R71wQpHUF_0PF6652aEYiPgjbYPPYn_mDiESlkjPpRPFZ38GUnjM3QWBM6DIhsU7qSPJNmSkAURtxPJWVngrw462DW13xjOaZGRtVRBKIhhYyEPWu0Xtomi7YKffCqxvTvszwzzS/s320/2013-06-08_VocList.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out all of the assistance the Read&Write extension offers our students by watching this YouTube video</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wW3gRv9gRCI?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
(<a href="http://youtu.be/wW3gRv9gRCI" target="_blank">Click here</a> to watch if you are unable to view it. )<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to learn more about Google Tools to use in your classroom check the blog post <a href="http://www.edudemic.com/2013/05/creative-ways-to-use-google-tools-to-maximize-learning/" target="_blank">10 Creative Ways to Use Google Tools to Maximize Learning</a>. This is where I learned about this awesome extension. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So what do you think? How could you use this with your students?</b></span>PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999373880545381315.post-50233163843813038832013-01-01T22:50:00.000-06:002013-01-01T22:52:26.800-06:00Let 2013 Begin - Part 1 - 2012 in ReviewThe words to John Lennon's song keep swirling in my head<br />
"...<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Corbel, helvetica, verdana, arial; line-height: 20px;">And what have you done</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Corbel, helvetica, verdana, arial; line-height: 20px;">Another year over</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Corbel, helvetica, verdana, arial; line-height: 20px;">And a new one just begun." </span><br />
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Yes, indeed what have I done? And what plans do I have for the new one that has just begun? Well, here in Part 1 I will review my Year 2012. Tomorrow I will post Part 2 about what I am planning for 2013. </div>
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<u>January</u></div>
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Decided my #365Project for the year would consist of me grabbing a screencast of a tweet that I found inspiring each day. As usual, I did not complete the entire project but I continued longer than most. You can see my posts <a href="http://plnaugle.posterous.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. **Bonus - I received a DENny award for this series of posts. </div>
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<u>February</u></div>
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I was a <a href="http://2012.metcconference.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=5" target="_blank">featured presenter at METC</a> in St. Louis. I enjoyed my time connecting with members of my PLN and making new friends at that event and I even got to see snow. </div>
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I celebrated my third Twitter anniversary. You can read more about that <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/02/3rd-twitter-anniversary-february-25.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<u>March</u></div>
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I celebrated another birthday. </div>
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<u>April</u></div>
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As I prepared my students for the annual high stakes test that is a part of the Louisiana educational system, I couldn't help but be excited for when it would be over. My students did very well on the LEAP test. </div>
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Thanks to a discussion on #4thchat, I began <a href="http://thanks%20to%20a%20discussion%20on%20/#4thchat, I began #ImpromptuSkype calls." target="_blank">#ImpromptuSkype calls</a>. </div>
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<u>May</u> </div>
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I received a beautiful trophy for the DENny PL DEN Award from the Discovery Educators Network. Read more about it <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/05/2012-denny-awards.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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I was invited to join a Skype group called <a href="http://hlwskypers.pbworks.com/w/page/36437388/HLWSkypers%20wiki" target="_blank">Hello Little World Skypers</a>. There are roughly 100 members from around the world who are par of this group. They are very active and enjoy sharing and learning with and from each other. My students were able to do their first international Skype call this year with Mr. Steve from South Africa. </div>
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School ended for my thirty-sixth time and I attended the Bayou Country Fest in Baton Rouge with my dear friend, Janet. </div>
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<u>June</u></div>
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ISTE is always the highlight of my summer (and my year), but this year it was especially memorable. I finally got to meet my Skype Buddy, Jan Wells, face to face. You can read more about that <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/06/meeting-my-skype-buddy.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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I had such a wonderful time in San Diego and would love to send hugs and kisses to Beth Still. She included my on her presentation panel again this year. She also made all of the arrangements for the #educrib we rented while in California, where I got to bond even more with Jan and all of my other house mates. </div>
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<u>June-July</u></div>
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I hosted an online Professional Development opportunity for just over 30 members of the #4thchat community. As different people talked about using Edmodo with their students during our weekly Twitter chats, there were just as many who wanted to learn about Edmodo. So I started the #4thchatPD group on Edmodo, and ran the course over the eight weeks of June and July. Yes, I used Edmodo to teach others about Edmodo. It was a great learning experience for everyone involved. </div>
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<u>July</u><br />
This month marked the second #EdcampLA. I am one of the organizers for this exciting and different form of PD. We had a great turnout and can't wait for our third one next July.<br />
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I began to learn how to use Google Hangouts with various members of my PLN. I knew this would be a tool I would want to add to my toolkit and had fun learning it with others. </div>
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I attended several training sessions on the Common Core State Standards both in person and online. Louisiana will be transitioning to the CCSS with full implementation during the 2014-2015 school year. </div>
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Also during this month, I started collaboratively working on a virtual PD that was being hosted by Theresa for her teachers in Illinois. Ten educators from the HLW Skypers group were involved. We used GHO and a wiki to doing the planning. I agreed to present about Edmodo. </div>
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<u>August</u></div>
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I participated in the Connected Educators' Month. You can read more about that in this <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank">series of posts</a> I wrote. I was even the guest tweeter for the day of August 5. </div>
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It was a short summer as I headed back to begin my thirty-seventh year of teaching on the second week of August. I found out that I would teach two blocks of math and science and one class of social studies this year. Woohoo - this science minor finally gets to teach some science. </div>
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I was so proud of my students, who after just a short time in school, were able to do a masterful job presenting virtually to a group of teachers, most of whom were located in Illinois. My kids told them how we are using Edmodo in our classroom as our learning management system. <a href="http://educatorvirtualpd.wikispaces.com/RecordedSessions" target="_blank">Check out our presentation here</a> by scrolling down to the Edmodo part. Thanks, Theresa Allen, for this amazing opportunity. </div>
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<u>September</u></div>
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We missed seven days of school thanks to Hurricane Issac. When we returned it felt like we were starting the year over again. </div>
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I signed up to have my students participate in <a href="http://quadblogging.net/" target="_blank">Quadblogging</a> this year. Unfortunately the time out of school threw me off schedule and I never had my students fully participating as I had hoped to. <a href="http://pnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/09/greetings-to-our-quad-blogging-buddies.html" target="_blank">Here is my one</a> and only post for our group.<br />
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During this month I worked collaboratively with a group of educators to start the Global Collaboration Network. Jefff Bradbury of TeacherCast fame worked closely with us to build <a href="http://tgcn.teachercast.net/" target="_blank">this website</a>. Bill Krakover, Nancy Carroll, Dan Curcio, Jerry Blumengarten, Jessica Baumburger, Kim Powell, and I met weekly in a GHO to create the projects and try to build the website. We were hopeful that we would get accepted to present at ISTE. </div>
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<u>October</u></div>
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My students and I participated in Jen Wagner's annual O.R.E.O. Project and had fun with the Great Pumpkin Project. We started doing Mystery Location calls. We call them that instead of Mystery Skype calls because sometimes we use Google Hangouts instead of Skype. Read more about the name change <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/10/from-mystery-skype-call-to-mystery.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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We also had our entire fourth grade signup for and participate in a <span id="goog_387842820"></span><a href="http://pnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/10/taylor-swift-webcast.html" target="_blank">webcast by Scholastic featuring Taylor Swift</a><span id="goog_387842821"></span>. Our kids really enjoyed it.<br />
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During this month I worked collaboratively with a group of educators to start </div>
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<u>November</u></div>
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I prepared to attend and present at LaCUE, our state technology conference. I did four presentation and enjoyed time with my members of my PLN. We had a small tweet up at Deannie's and I enjoyed a stay at the Hilton.<br />
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Since I had become a presenter for Simple K12, I jumped at the chance to become an ambassador for them. They were thrilled to have me join their ranks, and I was thrilled to get my very own pair of bunny slippers. I wore them proudly during my LaCUE presentation entitled <i>PD in Your PJs</i>.<br />
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Mark, at My Town Tutors, invited me to write a guest blog for them. <a href="http://www.mytowntutors.com/2012/11/should-you-be-using-exit-slips-in-your-classroom/" target="_blank">Here</a> is my post.<br />
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I also completed my first formal evaluation under our state's new system and received a highly effective rating. <br />
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<u>December</u><br />
The Sandy Hook tragedy took its toll on me. I went into a depression and had a hard time gearing up for Christmas this year. One of the most hopeful things that came to my attention was <a href="http://plnaugle.blogspot.com/2012/12/feeling-helpless-read-and-share-it.html" target="_blank">this post</a> by Beth Still's husband.<br />
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Bill informed the Global Collaboration Network that we were not select to present at ISTE. However, we plan to do a presentation for ISTE Unplugged while in San Antonio this summer.<br />
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So there is my YEAR 2012 Review.</div>
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<b><u>My Proudest Accomplishments</u></b></div>
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All of my presentations (check them out <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/paulanauglesportfolio/presentations" target="_blank">here</a>)</div>
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My DENny Award</div>
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Becoming a Simple K12 Ambassador</div>
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My collaboration with others<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">What were your greatest accomplishments in 2012? </span></b></div>
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PLNauglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17589718884625860829noreply@blogger.com