Today I Sat In A Class And Read A Book...

Today, I sat in a class and read a book, The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.  I sat in complete silence while other students sat with their novel groups and read with intent and powerful interest.  One group was on the floor, casually laying on comfortable pillows.  Another group was lounging on a couch in the corner.  There was even a student reading in a bathtub filled with pillows. That's right...a bathtub!  Their teacher was also fully immersed in her book of choice as well!  Every now and then, I would look up from my book, and so many thoughts would fill my head.  One being, that this environment was truly fostering a love of reading.  

That became even more evident when I was invited to have a "book talk" with a group of students.  Another thought I had was that I couldn't wait to come back to read with kids again.  I couldn't wait to walk in a room, find a spot to read, and dive into a good book.  I loved being a part of it today! As I was getting up to leave (I didn't want to!), Ms. Taylor Horn asked if I wanted to participate in a book talk with a group of her students.  I kneeled down on the floor, and just listened.  By the end of our conversation, my mind was made up.  I was checking that book out at the library!  

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

One part of George's book that I read today was about "8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom".  One of those 8 is "Time for Reflection".  As a educator, I find that I need time to reflect to grow and evolve into the type of educator that my kids deserve.  I reflect on social media outlets like Twitter and Voxer and as a blogger (I am trying to get better at this!).  The students today were given time to reflect on their reading, and the conversation was so good!  You could hear their passion and dedication to the story line, and how they couldn't wait to read some more. 

One of my favorite human beings to follow on social media is Jen Jones of Hello Literacy.  This is one of my favorite quotes from her.

Just Read.

George says in his book, "DEAR Time should be an opportunity not only for reading but to also "Drop Everything and Reflect".  It is important to give our students a space for enjoyable reading and reflection.  One should not be separate from the other.  Now time to get back to my book!

#WhatIf I Can't Wait to Blog About What If!

This past summer, I read a book that quickly became one of my favorite books that I have ever read, The Book of What If by Matt Murrie and Andrew McHugh. This book is full of activities and questions for curious readers of ANY age!  A group of us decided to start a What If Book Study in Voxer over the summer after being inspired by the wonderful Marialice Curran, and it was awesome!  We were able to share and converse about all things "What If"!  Matt Murrie even joined in on the conversation! I especially loved reading the book when I was with my niece, Nancy.  One of the first questions that I asked her from the book was "What If Dinosaurs Never Went Extinct?". She thought about it for a little bit, and then the curiosity conversation began! We decided to share her thoughts on that topic by including her in the Voxer chat!  We added her thoughts first, and then the author, Matt Murrie, asked her another question as well as my friend, Jennifer Griffin, about what they should eat to keep the dinosaurs away!.  Check out the dialogue below! 

She loved being involved, and couldn't wait for the next What If question! Another question I gave her was "What If There Were No Books?"  This question bothered her a bit!  I used her response as inspiration to create the Buncee below! I love using Buncee for creation, and used it throughout the book study to design and illustrate my curiosity!!

The point of sharing all of this with you is to paint a picture of pure curiosity! George Couros recently posted about the topic of What If, and included this question:

What if schools always focused on the notion that we should all be “learners” as opposed to “students”?

This question made me think about a part in his book, The Innovator's Mindset, that said, "Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions, yet we often ask them to save their questions for later, so we can "get through" the curriculum." What a powerful statement! Why are we not embracing a kid's wonder and curiosity each and every day! These are the types of conversations that I want to be a part of with my kids! Please don't let them leave school less curious than when they started! 

This past week, all of the elementary schools in Montgomery ISD started a "What If of the Week" based on and with the support of Matt's book. At the beginning of each week, the What If is announced on the morning announcements and also shared on social media.  We are encouraging students and teachers to share their thoughts in any way that they choose throughout the week on social media!  Check out some of the #MISDWhatIf Week 1 posts below! 

We all make a choice as educators on how we choose to impact the life of a child.  This child is someone's entire world, and our job is an important one. In the words of my buddy, Kayla Delzer, "If it's right for kids, it's right." Words to teach and learn by! 

What's New in Flocabulary, and a Super Cool Giveaway!!

I started using Flocabulary last year, and instantly fell in love with what it brought to my classroom lessons and activities.  More than that, I LOVED how much my students LOVED it!

Flocabulary is a website that uses educational hip-hop music and videos to engage students and improve achievement.  The lyrics are on point, and the rhythm is catchy and cool!  We could not get enough of it, and we played some of the same videos on repeat!!  

I loved incorporating it into our fact fluency lessons!  Here is one of our favorite videos from last year!!

Something new this year, that I am really excited about, is the new addition of the Lyric Lab!  Lyric Lab fits right in the Flocab family!  It fosters creativity, student engagement and creativity!!

How does Lyric Lab work?  It is a tool that is built right in within Flocabulary's units.  The students are able to write their very own academic rhymes.  How cool is that!  Check out the tutorial below for more information!

Now, who is ready for a giveaway!! Flocabulary, along with myself, will be giving away 3, year-long teacher Flocabulary subscriptions to my readers! In addition everyone that enters the giveaway will get an extended 45-day, school-wide trial of Flocabulary! You will be able to register and share this access with all of your school colleagues. It will only take a minute to enter!!

Instructions for Entering the Giveaway:

• Fill out each field below to be eligible.
• Everyone the enters will receive an email for an extended 45-day school-wide trial.
• Winners will be drawn at random.
• You must enter by October 16th at 11:59 ET.
• The winners will be announced on October 18th.
• That week, all entrants will receive an email with their access to the special 45-day school-wide free trial.

Good luck, my friends!!

Our Date With The Weatherman!

Last year, I reached out to various local meteorologists to see if they would Skype with my kids about weather maps.  I was surprised that none of them contacted me back!  But I didn't give up!  While searching for a weather map video on YouTube, I came across a video by Ryan Davidson of The Weather Channel.  It explained weather maps in such a kid friendly way!  

So I took a chance....

I decided to search for him on Twitter, and I found his profile!  I sent him a message, and asked if he would be interested in visiting with my kids about weather maps.  Within 12 hours, he responded, and said he would love to!

We were so excited!  My kids loved it, and I knew I would reach out to him again for the following school year!  Fast forward to this school year, and we just completed our visit with him this past Friday.  We even invited some friends from another school district to jump in on the call (Google Hangout).  He is now on camera for The Weather Channel with Weather Underground.  We were able to tour the set, meet a co-worker, and ask him numerous questions about weather and his profession!  It was such a cool experience, and I am so thankful to have his support in my classroom!  I like to refer to him as our class weatherman!  

Word of wisdom from our resident weatherman! @RyanDavidsonWX #lovewhatyoudo pic.twitter.com/qZuYzjXL1X

— Amy Storer (@techamys) April 16, 2016

Super cool Google Hangout today with the kids. Thanks to @techamys and @RyanDavidsonWX! #weatherunderground pic.twitter.com/GCd9DuRM4U

— TA (@runmickey1) April 15, 2016

@RyanDavidsonWX It was so great visiting with you!! @redcarpetcrew4 loved it!! pic.twitter.com/8gSWe3Td5T

— Amy Storer (@techamys) April 15, 2016

Students Teaching Students Part 2!

In this edition of "Students Teaching Students", my class connected with a third grade class in Enterprise, Alabama!  We had previously met them during Edcamp Global.  Since meeting, we have stayed in contact on Twitter.  She reached out to me about our classes reconnecting to talk about fractions.  My students were experts in regards to equivalent fractions, and her students were just starting on this topic!  My students were going to work with her kids on equivalent fractions!  So exciting!  We set up a small white board with large magnetic fraction strips, and my kids guided them through a variety of problems.  We also introduced them to a strategy that we use called "The Big One"! Please view the video below to learn more about "The Big One"!  

It was one of those experiences that I know my kids, as well as myself, will not forget.  Her students did wonderful!! It gave them ownership of that knowledge, and they were able to deliver that message through a Google Hangout.  And sharing that knowledge didn't require a worksheet!!

Let's Take a Trip to Mars PBL Project Completion!

This was a fun PBL Project!  After gathering feedback from Farmer Brent and our local farmer, Mrs. Carey Poole from P-6 Farms (local farm), the students began to work on their 1-3 minute video to NASA.  Our plan was to post these videos on Twitter and ro tag NASA in the post.  We also wanted to include our new friend from the Cosmosphere Museum on Kansas.

In a previous blog post, I spoke of getting connected with this space museum, Cosmosphere, in Kansas.  We were able to organize a Skype call with one of the employees, Tracey Tomme, the Vice President of Education for the company! She visited with my kids about Mars, martian soil, and the future of gardening on Mars.  We learned so much!  After her visit, the students got to work on their videos.  They were expected to include details about how they would construct a self-sustaining garden on Mars that would allow them to survive for 5 years.  It was through this entire process that they learned all about soil!  Love what PBL does for my kids!  It allows the teacher to step back and give the students room to have voice and choice in their learning.  All of this without the use of a worksheet or test!!  It is such a beautiful thing!

Life Happens....

It has been a bit since I worked on a new blog post.  My goal, when I started this blog, was to blog each week about all of the wonderful things that are happening in my class each week.  I wanted my class to be more global, and a blog was a great way to do that!  It has also been very cathartic for me to reflect as a teacher.  So what have I been up to?

A few weeks ago, I started my last class in my masters program!  Exciting, right!? One of the first things due was my Action Research Project Report.  We worked on this throughout the program, but I still needed to add the final touches.  Between losing part of the document between home and school, and completing the reference list, I was more behind than I thought!  But I got it done!  It was submitted this past Sunday, and I have one more major assignment to turn in...my Practicum Plan!  This plan has over 300 clocked intern hours, as well as reflections!  Whew!  I have a few more weeks left, and I cannot wait to graduate!  I will be graduated with honors at the end of May!

Have you been thinking about going back to get your masters?  Although this program had some flaws (don't they all), it wasn't that bad!  I met some wonderful teachers and administrators that I am looking forward to meeting in May when we walk across that stage.  Check out Lamar University for their online programs!  Contact me if you have any questions, and if you decide to obtain your Ed Tech Leadership masters, I am here to help you!!

We are on Spring Break right now, but I will be back next week!  Stay tuned!