Uncategorized
0 Comments

Summer is for video classes

Hi teachers,

I’ve been on a real video classes kick lately. Making them, watching them, and trying to figure out what kids find so magnetically appealing about youtube. See a picture of my high-tech recording studio below:

In the process of researching and creating this latest round of video classes, here are five pieces of advice I have come up with to help make your work stand out:

Five Things That Make a Great Educational Video Class Series

  1.  Keep it moving.  You need to have action on the screen an average of once every 15 seconds (I made this number up for myself, but based it on the very scientific study of timing how long it took before I got bored watching a video).  See example below.
  2.  Know your software.  Good software programs make it much easier to create meaningful, flowing content.  I settled on monosnap for screen-casting and screenbrush for writing and I would recommend them both.
  3. Give it away. I’ve come across a LOT of information about how to market video classes. The piece of advice that I have thought about most carefully and that has resonated most deeply is this: you need to make large portions of high-quality work available for free. It makes people want to engage with your platform and remember you in the future when they are ready to buy a product. Which brings me to my next point…
  4. Make yourself available. I’m currently developing products that are available on youtube, TpT and a subscription site called Lernsys.  You are in charge of marketing yourself so take it seriously and make a marketing plan.  For example: I’m making all my teaching videos available on youtube, but the review videos, the homework assignments and the assignment keys are only available through the paid subscription channel.
  5. Get into digital drawing.  Here is a brief summary: It’s not okay to use other people’s photos/cliparts/etc EVER without giving them credit.  Be willing to create your own resources and put aside the time to do this.  See example below:
Organization
0 Comments

Dos and Don’ts for the end of the year

Hi teachers,

If you are already done with school….stop reading education blogs already!! Go to the beach already.  If you are still in the last few weeks, here are some dos and don’ts to keep you sane and organized as wrap things up.

DO projects.

Students love end of year projects.  For an educational perspective, it gives them time to synthesize information in a meaningful way.  From a realistic perspective, it keeps classes engaged as weather gets nice and spring fever sets in.

DON’t save all your papers.

One master copy of each document.  You will NOT remember you have 23 extra copies of Worksheet #16 next February.  I promise.

DO scan.

While you’re looking through your papers, ask yourself–can I be more digital?  Share online files and folders with your students and you will not need to eat lunch in the copy room so often next year.

DON’T try to keep the same pace you did in February.

Again–reality check: Your students are exhausted. You are likely also exhausted.  When I plan at the beginning of the year, I try to be realistic about pacing: slow at the beginning, fast in the middle, slow at the end.  Like an airplane ride.  To a summer vacation…..far far away!

See you in September.

Uncategorized
1 Comment

Class Debates

POWER HOUR DEBATE LESSON

This year we have been doing a big debate once a cycle or so.  I have really been enjoying them and feel like we are finally catching a good routine.  Here is the procedure we ended up with by the last section of the current debate (“The Ethics of Genetically Engineered Children”):

1)  A homework writing to get students thinking (in this case based on GATTACA)
2)  20 minutes for document review and to start constructing arguments for both sides.
3)  During those 20 minutes, teacher goes around and checks in with people about what side of the debate they would prefer to be on (no promises, but it worked out pretty even this time).
4)  The debate teams are assigned, along with a panel of 5 judges that sit in the front of the room.
5) Each team presents arguments for 3 minutes, rebuttal for 2 minutes and closing statement for 1 minute.
6) Judges deliberate and announce the winner

A busy hour, but great to fit such an engaging (for some/most) activity into 1 class!  A surprising change (suggested at the last minute by my co-teacher–thanks, Mr. Kimmel) was the difference in flipping the debate teams forward to face the judges, instead of having them face each other. Something I wish I had emphasized more is the importance of taking notes while the other team is talking.

Uncategorized
0 Comments

Student Engagement

A large percentage of the Hudson staff just returned from Educon, an excellent conference at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia that focuses on innovation in education. As a first time attendee, I was excited to visit several very inventive sessions around innovation and technology:

Conversation 1: Open Pedagogy/Dr. David Wiley (CoFounder of Lumen Learning)
Dr. Wiley’s talk focused on ways to use (and create) open source textbooks in the classroom.  His best piece of advice was to learn how to use Google Advanced Search:

Select the usage rights option “free to use, share or modify, even commercially” then type “your-subject-area textbook” or whatever text you are looking for.  I think this will bring some great online text-based resources into my classroom : )

Conversation 2: Unleashing Student Super Powers/Kristin Swanson & Hadley Ferguson
To be fair, this session moved rooms at the last minute and I thought I was attending a discussion of Common Core standards (something I figured out just now).  Instead of Common Core we discussed student superpowers, completed a role play game and designed a school bus using post its, plastic cups and paper clips.  The takeaway: activities are awesome.  Don’t talk at kids, let them DO it.

Conversation 3: The Right Tool for the Job: Promoting Student Choice/Kim Deveaux (Ethical Culture School)
This session was a good reminder that students can control their own learning through the use of technology.  Ethical Culture Fieldston School does an amazing job with online portfolios that track student mastery.  A little bit chic-chic private school, but an amazing job.

Conversation 4: Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse: Engaging All Learners/Gerald Aungst (Cheltenham)
The best thing we did in this session was make a foldable.  I remembered how much I LOVE foldables. I want to bring them back into the classroom ASAP. The one we did was a 4-section foldable with a definition, a section to agree, a section to disagree and a section to state your final word that I think could be really helpful in a debate protocol.

Miss, this is the BEST LAB EVER
Uncategorized
2 Comments

Miss, this is the BEST LAB EVER

The squid dissection rocks.  It is project-based, student-centered, hands-on, engaging and can be easily replaced or supplemented with an online alternative.  The students deepen their understanding of body systems and how different organs are connected to maintain homeostasis.  More importantly, I believe they feel in this lab more than any other lab in the year that they are Scientists–using important tools to conduct important work.  And its true!! The day is always an absolute pleasure (as long as the air freshener doesn’t run out).  Check out some pictures below.  Students, feel free to comment with your favorite part of the lab!!

Uncategorized
0 Comments

Time to relax

In the few weeks since Christmas break, I have been settling into a really nice routine with my students.  They have been doing lots of self-directed lab work (with online images, scaffolds and videos to guide them).  The atmosphere in class feels mature and productive.  It has been wonderful to relax into the middle of the year, with everyone well-rested from the Christmas vacations.  It is times like these I remember that when you trust and value your students, they return the sentiment. Everyone’s productivity looks different and we are in a unit (Body Systems) that allows students to be unique, creative and individualistic.

It doesn’t hurt that they got to do their first dissection last week, either ; )

Pictures to follow soon!

Best,
Ms. Schley

Uncategorized
0 Comments

Welcome to my blog!

This is my first attempt at a blog.  Blogging has always seemed intimidating to me.  The thought of having my ideas and words out there, for all people to access and judge, makes me uncomfortable.  Like, crawl into a hole type of uncomfortable.  But I thought this might be an interesting way to interact with my students and my fellow educators. So, here I go.