So what's been keeping me from blogging lately? Lots. And to make this laundry list of activity more interesting, I've decided to link up with Farley for the February Currently.
Loving my break. Boy, do I need it! These last 6 weeks of school have been really crazy. I've said goodbye to two students who were moving overseas (one to Tanzania and another to Costa Rica), and those students were immediately replaced by new students. I got a student teacher (who is fabulous, btw), and I decided at the last minute to apply to a doctoral program at UGA. Meanwhile, I'm working on three different school committees -- including one about our report cards that I'm chairing -- and I'm preparing a professional learning session for my colleagues as we prepare to roll out 1:1 iPads throughout the building. I'm still working on my math endorsement, and I'm thinking about applying for a new job as a mentor teacher that is opening up in my school. So needless to say, January was eventful!
As for my pet peeve, I really get frustrated when people make all sorts of selfish and disrespectful comments. Case in point: the comment section of an article about Obama visiting Atlanta this Thursday. Apparently he is visiting some schools as a follow-up to the State of the Union speech, and one of those schools is the one that my 18-month-old attends. She goes to a public school in my district that hosts an awesome 0-3 program and a pre-K. Now regardless of your politics, it's a big deal when a sitting president comes to your school. This a huge opportunity for a fantastic school in my district to get the national spotlight, and I'm excited that my daughter gets to be a part of it. And I don't think I will read the comments for news articles anymore. I'll just stick to the comments of my happy place in the teacher blogosphere.
Backing up to the "needing," as I already mentioned, I'm leading a committee about our current report card system as it's something that's been a challenge for us lately. Personally, I have a hard time with the technology that we're using to input grades and produce report cards. It's really inefficient, and it's an example of technology interfering with a process rather than helping it -- and anyone who's ever read this blog knows I'm not a technophobe! We also do standards based report cards every 6 weeks, and the shift toward Common Core has made it a bit more complicated. So here are my questions for you:
How often do you send home report cards?
What information do you report? (e.g., letter grades, percentages, rubric scores)
Has your report card changed due to Common Core? If so, how?
I'd really love to hear what other schools are doing as I gather information for my committee. Any feedback in the comments would be greatly appreciated! And don't forget to link up with Farley on the Currently!
Happy Monday!
I can relate to SO much in your post. I absolutely HATE when the technology interferes instead of helping. I feel like I try so hard to think of ways to make learning more fun and interactive, and I get so frustrated when the technology holds us back.
ReplyDeleteSome apps you may be interested in:
-educreations
-remote mouse
-red laser (qr reader) - my class is having some fun with qr code activities from TPT
-doceri (haven't tried it yet b/c of our wireless firewalls...but looks pretty cool if you have a smartboard/brightlink/activboard, etc.)
Your school is doing 1:1 ipads? How exciting! Is this a district initiative or a grant? I'm jealous! My classroom has two ipads and an ipod touch I wrote a grant for. We just started allowing students to bring their own devices in and I am LOVING that! Not everyone has it, but it is so much better than it used to be. I can only imagine the fun you could have with a 1:1 initiative. Keep us posted! :)
Twenty-Six Minutes for Lunch
Love your blog! I found you through Farley's linky and I'm a new follower!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the week off every six - we do something similar and it is amazing to have that time off built into the year. I feel like I have a chance to catch my breath before I plunge right back in.
Adore your blog design... :)
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