Happy New Year!

It's a new year! That means making New Year's resolutions--at least some people still do that. I try, but never seem to be able to follow through for very long. Perhaps it is because the resolutions I seem to make are too specific, or too vague. But the new year does provide a feeling of a fresh start even though it is still the middle of the school year.


What will you do to make your classroom "new", fresh, or exciting during the long winter months ahead? Will you try out a new piece of technology or software program?

Check out these list of educational apps:

• 52 of the Best Apps for Your Classroom in 2015
• 20 Helpful Apps for Teachers and Educators
• Teacher Recommended: 50 Favorite Classroom Apps
• Podcast: Kathy Schrock: Curation Trends: Finding the Best Teaching Apps, Tools and Resources 
• Top 50 Sites and Apps of 2015

Perhaps you want to start small--focus on one subject area.
Here are some places to begin:

• 10 Good Apps & Sites for Creative Writing Projects
• 5 Good Sites and Apps for Elementary School Language Arts Lessons
• 29 Games Kids Can Play to Try Engineering

You could focus on building your own knowledge base by consistently connecting with other educators by reading a blog or two written by a wide range of educators and experts. Here is a list of Must-Read IT Blogs, compiled by EdTech, The 2015 Honor Roll: EdTech's Must-Read K--12 IT Blogs.

Choose one, or try several, but the key is to be consistent and try it more than one time. And don't forget to have fun with it.

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.

New Beginnings

 

  

I can't believe it is already August. What happened to all the time I was going to have in the summer to read, relax, refresh, rejuvenate? I wish I could get some of that time back. I am thinking I really didn't get a lot accomplished over the summer--it was just too busy. Do you feel the same way? Do you go back to school with less energy and enthusiasm than you left with at the end of the school year?

What are your plans to make learning more fun, more useful to students, to show more passion about learning? Our students look to the teacher to find enthusiasm, passion, and energy for learning. Teachers are their models. What characteristics does a "passionate" teacher possess? Who is/were your favorite teacher(s)?  What did they do that makes him/her, still to this day, stand out as a favorite for you?

Did you use any of these words to describe that teacher: excitement, energy, delight, zeal, vigor, devotion, enjoyment (just to name a few). Did you also use the word "fun"?

If the teacher is having fun, chances are, the students are too. By fun, I don't mean all fun and games with no learning happening, but rather, the teacher enjoys what he/she is doing and that becomes an important part of the classroom culture. Hard work and fun go together. An article, by Hal Urban, talks about the teacher's enthusiasm. He played around with the letters of the word and used each to find other words that "paint a picture of what successful teachers do."

Energetic
Not Boring
Tough
High Standards
Understanding
Sense of humor
Imagination
Always personal
Storyteller
Motivated

To see more specifics about each of these words, read Urban's article, Lesson #1: Good teachers share one special quality .

Although you may not ever “see” the online teacher, students do get a sense for what their instructor is like. Online teachers convey enthusiasm, understanding, a sense of humor, are motivated and prepared, etc. The online instructor participates frequently, interacts with individuals throughout the course, and provides feedback, encouragement, and support for all online students.

If you are new to online teaching here are some hints for preparing your online course:

• Be clear, concise, and comprehensive
• Provide a manageable amount of content
• Provide a variety of learning activities 
• Avoid making last-minute changes 
• Provide resources to help students succeed in the online classroom. 
• Test the course in different browsers and on different computers.

From: Six Tips for Preparing Your Online Course, R. Kelly. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/six-tips-preparing-online-course/ January 16, 2015

What do you do to get ready for your online students? Go!

 

Welcome to the new school year!

Let's get ready!

Among teacher variables, enthusiasm has the most powerful and positive impact on student learning.
                                                                 – Toni Kempler

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.

Fun in an Online Course

     

How do you create "fun" in an online course? This is a discussion that the students in one of my online courses have been discussing--the original question was more about characteristics of effective online instructors. Several students mentioned that an effective online instructor makes the learning "fun". Does that mean an online instructor who has a great sense of humor and it shows up in the online environment? Or, does it mean that the learning activities are engaging and "fun"?

Yes--probably both ideas are "correct". I think I can be funny--sometimes (don't ask my personal kids, because they just groan when I think I am being funny), but my sense of humor may not appear in an online course. So, in my case, I just hope my personality shows through in other ways.

What else can an instructor do to make it "fun"? Is the course for a student in grades K-12 or for an adult learner, like teachers taking online courses for professional development? Does that make a difference?

Think about how you learn. Is learning easier for you if you are having fun doing it and so the time just flies? Can all learning be fun or does some of it just have to be boring? How much does the attitude of the learner play into this? As you can see, I have a lot of questions but not many answers.

Ideas? I would love to hear from you!

 

In the Spotlight: Formative

This is a program that is described as

"A superb assessment resource which allows you to gain real-time feed back through tests, quizzes and even allowing students to annotate a document that you upload. Set up your quiz/test using true/false statements, longer text answers or students can draw the answer. You can setup a marking key meaning that the site will mark the answers for you and give instant data on who is correct. Your students can either have their own free account or they can access the material using a link." 

Also advertised as: Any grade, any subject, any devise. Have you used it with your students? If so, how did it work for you?

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.

AEA PD Online Instructional Designer

www.aeapdonline.org