It's Not Goodbye

It’s now been a few days since the governor of Virginia closed schools for the 2019-2020 school year and I’m still in shock. Honestly, I fully expected Governor Northam to close schools until May 1st and then reevaluate the situation. I know this is the best decision for the health and safety of our students, staff, and parents, but boy did it come as a shock to hear the words come out of his mouth at the press conference. Everything still seems so surreal, like we’re watching a movie unfold in front of us and we’re trying to guess what happens at the end.

Michelle Weeks, an amazing friend and former coworker, recently posted a blog, This One’s For You, that allowed me to stop and think. In the last few days we have all been dwelling on what we have already missed and what we will miss with our students. However, there are many things that this school closure can never take away from us. We’ve been in school since August or September and there are so many learning moments, projects, and relationships that are built during that time.

1. For the first time, 1st - 5th grades all successfully set up Engineering Notebooks! While it was a feat at first, students in all grade levels were rocking it!

2. Our 3D-printers were finally able to be set up for the first time in 2 years.

3. I had 4th and 5th graders excited they got set up on TinkerCad, so they could design at home too.

4. I was able to transition into a room that was over two times larger than my previous room and students had space to move around and learn!

5. I was able to present at 2 conference - VMI STEM Education Conference and Virginia Children’s Engineering Convention.

6. I worked with 3Doodler in a multitude of ways - publishing articles (Full STEAM Ahead with Brittany Ballou, Harnessing Student Excitement, and STEAM Education: An Overview from an Expert), writing a lesson plan (Doodle Snowflakes: Geometry and Symmetry), and we were in the middle of highlighting how my students were completing a project.

7. My 5th graders used a new piece of technology that we had never used before - Makey Makey, and they did an amazing job creating a model of a cell and detailing what each part did. They loved using the new technology so much that they were giving me more ideas to use it in the future.

8. I was able to get more hands-on learning tools, like Create and Design Drill Kits, so my younger students could have hands-on experience learning how to use drills and screwdrivers.

9. I led my first STEAM Enrichment - Design Like Disney! I had so much fun with that group of 12 students as they built new rides for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.

10. My kindergartners were really growing as engineers! They were sharing, planning, building, and learning from one another.

So, as Michelle challenged me, I challenge you. Reflect on this school year. While it is not over, yet, and there’s still learning to be had, we will be in a different environment than we’re used to. Take a few minutes to think of 10 positive things from this school year and hold onto those moments as we navigate the waters of digital/remote learning. Because the 2019-2020 school year is not over and it’s certainly not time to say goodbye to our students!

Flipping the Classroom

Who would agree with the statement - we live in a digital world? Let’s face it, it’s almost impossible to escape the world of technology because it’s all around us. At school, home, work, doctors offices, etc. And that’s a good thing because the technology is there to make our lives easier. Right now, teachers across the world are thankful for this technology as we’re navigating uncharted territory - a school shutdown due to covid-19. In a matter of days or hours, for some, we went from teaching in a classroom to learning how to teach remotely and/or digitally.

While this process is never going to be perfect because we have not been meticulously creating lesson plans for this exact moment, there are digital resources out there to help you navigate this transition. Check out these three tools that can keep your students learning and interacting from home!

1. FlipGrid - This is a video recording tool that allows students to respond and stay connected with their learning. As the teacher, you can create an educator account to start topic ideas, share daily videos, have students record responses to questions, and even interact with one another’s video responses. I highly recommend this tool for quick, easy video recording to get your students communicating about topics they are learning about.

2. Zoom - This is a video conferencing tool that allows you to see students live! You can schedule a time to “meet” your class for a discussion, read aloud, or a time to answer questions. It is also a great tool to use for parent/teacher conferences in a scenario that a parent is unable to meet in person.

3. Khan Academy - This is a tool that allows you to easily differentiate your instruction for all students through instructional videos and practice exercises. Students are able to learn at their own pace through all core subjects from kindergarten through advanced level high school/college courses. There’s even specialized content from NASA, MIT, and museums across the world.

If you’re already comfortable with these online tools and you’re looking for something more hands-on that students can do at home, then check out these blog posts for ideas! STEM Movies, STEAM on a Budget, and Building Materials

Minute to Win It Game Show

When you’re stuck at home what do you like to do for family bonding? I know that growing up my family loved to play games and we still do! Maybe your favorite is Monopoly, Candyland, UNO, or you like something a little more active, like Pictionary. We all know that adding a little more movement into our days will help, so let me remind you of a show that originally aired back in 2010 - Minute to Win It! The title basically says it all - you have a challenge to complete in 60 seconds in order to win a prize. Competition, movement, and family bonding, what could be better than that?!

Do you have younger kids at home? 60 seconds may seem like a quick turnaround for them to feel like they have a chance to be successful, so you can adapt your game play! Instead of setting a timer for 60 seconds, allow them to compete against someone else, start a timer, and record the total time it takes them to complete the challenge. You can even take it a step further by dividing your family up into teams and recording the total time it takes for each round to get the winner.

If your family loves the competition and is all about winning prizes, I even added prize ideas to the list too. You won’t want to miss this free resource to get you started!

Minute to Win It Game Show

Are you looking for other ideas to keep your mind busy, while at home? Check out the blog post about bringing escape rooms to your living room with Escaping Boredom with Breakout EDU!

Teaching in the Midst of Chaos

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog because life - an infant that quickly turned toddler who’s 15 months old, juggling work/life balance, being with friends and family, writing grants, innovating in my classroom, presenting at conferences, and so much more. It’s amazing how when you’re in the middle of it, it can be hard to look ahead and then we’re all stopped in our tracks.

COVID-19 or coronavirus.

If you had asked me a month ago what this was, I couldn’t have given you a solid answer. I knew people around the world were being affected by this virus, but you never expect it to truly hit home. And boy did it. One day we were teaching our students and the next day we’re told we won’t see them for “at least” 2 weeks. It still doesn’t seem real. It’s like we’re all in a movie, watching it unfold, trying to guess what’s coming next, and feeling anxious for the ending to get here, so we can see it wrap up in a beautifully packaged box. But this isn’t a Hallmark movie.

We are all (hopefully by this point!) practicing social distance and learning how to navigate teaching our students and/or kids at home. It’s not an easy road by any means. Teachers are craving that personal relationship with their students that they’re used to. We’re learning how to teach digitally, while balancing the fact that many of our students don’t have access to technology. We’re trying to find the balance between family time, watching the news, not becoming too anxious about what lies ahead, and so much more.

Teachers and parents, I hear you, I see you, and I’m here with you. If you need help getting your students engaged in learning outside of the physical classroom, check out the resources on my blog, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by searching Imagineer STEAM. Or better yet, sign up for my email list. Let’s navigate these times together. Because we’re better together!