A Hoot and a Holler for February

Today I am linking up with The Rigorous Owl to give out a Hoot and a Holler!

I teach 2nd grade in Southern California, but to spice things up and earn some extra cash before the sunny days of summer come, I volunteered to teach a GATE enrichment class after school for 8 weeks.  Being inspired by Kayla Deltzer from Top Dog Teaching and other such tech-happy teachers, I decided to teach a coding class (which I SO do not know how to do...but thought it would be fun to learn alongside the kiddos).  

Code.org has been a FABULOUS resource for me, complete with lesson plans, video tutorials for both me and the 4th and 5th grade students, and a variety of activities to practice skills such as sequence, loops, debugging, and conditionals (all of which I just learned what they mean...hahaha).  I am simply following their "Course 2" outline which is easy to do and FREE for all!

My district just went Googley so our students are 1:1 with Chromebooks.  My 2nd graders are just getting the introduction to technology but the students in my after school GATE class are already pretty savvy.  I'm getting an opportunity to learn about coding and the Google world myself as these older kids and I correspond via the Google Classroom I set up for the course.

What I surprise it was for me to have kids I just met thanking me over and over for such a fun and interesting class. {We do a lot of unplugged activities just to learn the concepts...debugging relay race and card game conditionals...so our heads aren't just buried in our laptops!}

And for my holler,

Ashley, or Ms Idealistic online and in social media, has been such a wealth of knowledge for me about all things tech-related.  She scopes regularly and has joined forces with Sheila Jane of Sheila Jane Teaching and iTeachTvNetwork as well as TpT Life to host a weekly blab panel about teaching with technology.  I tune in whenever my little girls give me the chance to and I always learn about a new website, app, or how to do something I've been wanting to learn about.  A friendly, quick tip or tutorial always!  Thanks, Ash!  :)

If you would like to join the linky party, head over to The Rigorous Owl and get hooting!

A New Year & New Goals: Part 2

My second goal for 2016 is to be brave.

Being brave isn't as easy as it sounds.  

Stretching your limits and being vulnerable is so difficult to do, but that's where the most growth happens, right?  Right!

So, I'm putting myself out there.  I'm heading out to the great unknown of social media and forcing myself to meet and mingle with other teachers, bloggers, Periscopers, and more.

1.  Go to Teacher-Blogger Meet Ups:

I feel like Jim Carey in Yes Man.  My jump into social media has led me to new Facebook groups for teachers and TpTers and now those peeps want to get together at meet ups.  And to every teacher or blogger meet up that's not too far away...I say YES!

One key to success is surrounding yourself with successful people, especially those with similar goals, so I’m saying yes to meeting new teacher friends in this new social media world.  I’ll be driving and flying all over California in January and February for three different meet ups.  I won’t know a soul, but I hope to be brave, as I’ll be socializing, enjoying dinner, and even sharing a hotel room with people I’ve only met on Periscope or Facebook.  My husband thinks I'm crazy, as he is a little more cautious than I am…but I’m sure Shelby from Wriggling Scholars won’t kill me in my sleep! I'm not too old for a slumber party, right?

Here's my name tag from my very FIRST teacher blogger meet up last weekend in Manhattan Beach.  I met four very popular bloggers who happen to work in the same area I do and a host of other friendly and brilliant women that also aren't too far away.  Valerie Miller from Common Core Collaboration became my new best friend at the event, as we walked in together and did not really leave each other's side most of the night.  We were being brave together!

In February, I'm heading to the home of Katie Knight from Teacher to the Core for a Tea Luncheon as well as to Sacramento for a HUGE teacher meet up hosted by Sarah from Tales of Teaching with Tech, Erin from Very Perry Classroom, Brianne from Hooo-ray for Teaching, and Laura from Teaching from Beyond the Desk.  

I'm nervous and excited at the same time!  Be brave...I have to keep telling myself this.



2.  Start a Video Class Newsletter: 

I write a quick and easy weekly class newsletter that ties in the curricular topics we're covering in class and describes our homework assignments for the week.  My school is now 1:1 with Chromebooks, so I need to integrate more technology and opportunities to learn with technology for my students.

Taking my weekly newsletter off the page and making it come alive with video seems like a great way to accomplish this.  By filming myself and my students presenting the newsletter each week, we all will practice and learn more about presentation, voice, nuance, eye contact, fluency, expression, and so much more.  

Now, I'm usually the one behind the camera, not in front.  And, I hope to keep it that way most of the time as I want my students mastering their presentation skills.  But, modeling must be done, so I will be brave.  




3.  Periscope More and Launch my Blab:  

     Now that I have been exploring social media more, I have discovered lots of teacher professional development opportunities through Periscope, Blab, and Facebook groups.  Sheila from Sheila Jane Teaching has created the beautiful iTeachTVNetwork.  It is chock full of live streaming discussions fit for every teacher, regardless of grade level or experience.

    Smart, knowledgeable, and personable educators are taking to the air waves to share their ideas, successes, and sometimes their failures.  It's like a huge staff room of collaborative teachers ready and eager to share their experiences.  

     I've hopped on Periscope a few times, but it took me hours to get up the nerve to do a 10 minute live stream Periscope.  No joke....hours!  It has gotten better each time and the rush of excitement I feel after a broadcast is worth it.  I just love being a part of this up-and-coming social sharing.  I will be brave and get on the airwaves more this year.

   I have even spoken to a few fellow Periscopers and we are in the works to start our very own live streaming broadcast on Blab.im about music and movement in the classroom!  Having an active, fun, and educational classroom is my area of expertise and I'd love to share my tips and tricks with other educators.  The idea of being in front of the camera for a live streaming show is a little less terrifying if I have others in cahoots with me!  It will be easier to be brave with other teachers by my side!

    So, those are my two simple yet MAJOR goals for this year!  Have you thought about what you'd like to accomplish this year?  Are YOU willing to be brave and try something totally out of your comfort zone?  Let's do it together!

Teachers Pay Teachers Cyber Sale!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teach-At-The-Beach

It's time to get your holiday shopping done!  Head over to to Teachers Pay Teachers to save up to 28% on your favorite items this Monday and Tuesday!

Be sure to pick up your December Lunchbox Notes, Jokes, and Bottle Wraps to make your loved ones smile brightly this holiday season.  Simply print and cut!  I keep my stack in the kitchen ready to sneak into my little one's lunch, homework folder, or library book!  She LOVES sharing the jokes with her friends!!!

My #1 Best Seller will also be on sale...

And, finally...I've got a FREEBIE for you!!!  Woo Hoo!  As I was relaxing this past Thanksgiving break, I decided to get myself organized this December and whipped up a little something for myself...and you!  Click on my FREEBIES tab above to download this little 13-page lovey for yourself.

Happy Holidays!