Set Backs

Hi everyone.
Sorry I have not bee around I have had a rough week.  I was in an accident while snowboarding and had a minor surgery to look at my insides and fractured a bone in my lower back.  I am recovering and home, but this all started Sunday so I have not been on the ball.  I am playing catch up, but I can do it in small chunks.  I have to try really hard to remember that my bod is not as young as it used to be.  I am sore, and exhausted, but at least I am OK.  That is all that matters. 

Problem of Practice

How do we rearrange our curriculum so that our young learners are using technology to show understanding?

I am very fortunate for the district I work in. We do a lot of things correctly. Lately though we have felt the crunch of data driven instruction. Because of this our day is scheduled with ELA and math, and really not much more. We have two protected blocks in our day to instruct our kids with out interruptions, during that time we need to work on the CCSS standards and goals of our district. Time is tight. I would love to find a way for students to show their learning in a way that is not a formal assessment, more project based technology projects where students can apply what they have learned. I also would love for the opportunity for these projects to be about something they love, not what I tell them they have to do. If they can make connections, be creative, and apply their knowledge they will own it.

As I am starting to think about how I would go about this and asking myself many different questions as I read, I start behind the scenes to try somethings. As I learn by doing. So I went to our tech director about setting up Google Classroom. He gave me push back, said the board and administration did not support using it in our elementary school. So of course I asked if I set one up myself would it hurt what he was trying to do. No was his answer to go for it, ask if I needed help. I was excited to try this out and see if it would benefit student learning. Something else to know about me is when I am excited about something I share. So I shared it with my administrator, (who is usually pretty supportive with my technology ideas). After asking a few probing questions he immediately said I needed to get permission from the superintendent, and added me to the agenda for Tuesday's (next weeks) meeting to ask permission for what I want to do. So I am putting together a quick presentation for the administrators in our district to get approval to use Google Apps, and Google Classroom in my first grade.

I am not saying that Google Classroom is my answer to my problem of practice or a possible way to improve the use of technology for understanding, but I want to explore it. Ill let you all know how it goes.

About Me

Hi everyone.
I have lived in New Hampshire my entire life.  I grew up in Derry, went to college in Keene, lived in Raymond for 6 years, now I am in Danville.  I am a wife and a mom.  My son is 9 and I have three fur babies, one 15 year old lab and two 1 year old mutt puppies from the same litter.  I love spending time with my family hiking, playing board games, and snowboarding (new this year).  Personally I am a reader and a baker.
I have been teaching in Hampstead at the Central School for 14 years.  I started out in third grade for two years, then moved to first grade where I have found my home.  I love the way first graders think and learn.  My days are busy at school, I never sit down!  But I love every minute of it.
This is my last class in my masters program.  I have learned so much but I am excited to be almost done.  I am looking forward to reading more books for pleasure.