Faux Play-Doh

I bought Dylan some Play-Doh a couple of weeks ago and he really seems to enjoy playing with it. So in the spirit of keeping Dylan happy and occupied this summer, I decided we would try making a homemade version of Play-Doh. We used the base recipe from this site as our guide. We didn’t scent it but we added some coloring. Although I think the scented Play-Doh would be fun, I didn’t want any encouragement for Dylan to desire eating the Play-Doh… maybe we can try scenting it when he is older.

Anyway, the faux Play-Doh turned out pretty well and we have been playing with it for the last couple of days.

Here is a riveting photo of the faux Play-Doh as it is cooling. I mixed the green and Dylan mixed the purplish dough. He was quite proud of himself.

And here are some photos of Dylan having fun with the faux Play-Doh and some cookie cutters.

It has been a good time and a fun little activity for all of us.

Yesterday's Post Today

When I began writing yesterday's post, I had every intention of answering the question of how is online teaching different then a traditional classroom as well as giving a basic framework of my day; however, the post kept getting longer and longer and I didn't want the pressure of having to be "engaging" for a long period of time in order to keep you interested, so I thought I would break it in to two posts. :)

I, however, forgot to change the title from "A Day in the Life of Me (an online teacher)" to  "Teaching Online: How is it different" until after I had published the post. So, I renamed it after the fact. Apparently it caused a little confusion because the new name didn't update in some aggregators, etc. And, here I go again, rambling on about something not at all interesting...

So, I will finally get to today's topic. :)

I am always asked, "What do you do all day? What does your day "look" like?" Before I begin, I want to assure you that I am busy. Many times I am busier than when I worked in a traditional school setting. That being said, here is a basic break down of my day. Keep in mind, that I have flexibility to shuffle things around as I need to which happens quite often. I am big on making lists in order to keep organized. I usually make my to-do list at the end of the previous day so I know what I need to get started on each morning.

7:00am - Wake up, shower, get the boy dressed and drop him at school

7:45am - Make toast or oatmeal and sit down at my computer - logged in by 8:00am

8:00am - Check and respond to emails, check voice mails

8:30am - Check grade book and grade papers

9:00am - If I have a meeting it is usually during this time period. Last year we met as departments (middle school and/or ELA) and as grade levels (8th) somewhat frequently; we have quick "accountability" meetings each week with our supervisor to check in and see how all is going. We also have weekly training meetings on Fridays. If I don't have a meeting, I use this time to grade or plan.

10:15am - Return calls if needed. Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

11:15am - lunch and exercise

12:15pm - Planning for live teaching sessions, reading text, creating lessons, etc.

1:30pm -  Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

2:30pm - Live teaching session. This is just a place marker. The live teaching sessions are on a set schedule and last year I had four a week so some days I have a session or two and other days I have none.

3:00pm - Finish up the day - emails, grading, feedback, calls, and/or whatever needs to be completed. Check reports for attendance, participation, grades, etc. Make to-do list for tomorrow based on information in reports as well as anything left unaccomplished.

4:00pm - Done for the day :)

So again, the information above is just a guide to show how my days can be broken up. Some days I spend more time on the phone and others I might spend more time grading and giving feedback. I also attend field trips in my area 2-3 times a semester and meet with the other Dallas area teachers about once a month. I can also choose to use some of my time learning by attending training sessions or viewing training videos.

And during state testing time, I spend my time watching kids test... the logistics of state testing in a virtual setting are a whole other crazy can of warms. :)

I hope that sheds a little light on what I do for those of you who are curious. As always, feel free to ask any questions

Teaching Online - How is it different?

In my post yesterday I spent a little bit of time answering the most frequent questions I seem to get about my job; for those of you who don't know, I am an online teacher for a wonderful public school in Texas. Last year I taught eighth grade Language Arts, and I expect to teach the same this coming school year.

I helped a little with the interview process for a few of the open positions this year and the applicants seemed to ask me pretty much the same questions. What does my day look like? How is it different than teaching in a traditional classroom?

I think today I will begin by talking a little bit about how the position is different and tomorrow I will try to paint you a little picture of what my day teaching from home looks like.

How is teaching online different than teaching in a traditional classroom setting? Of course there are the obvious differences - I am at home and the kids are at their homes. But when you reflect on just that piece of the equation alone, it accounts for a lot of differences. Once I drop my son off at daycare, I am pretty much alone each day (physically that is). I don't have people popping in my office or classroom to ask me questions; I don't have my classroom phone ringing; I don't have the intercom blaring information at me or bells ringing. It is me - somewhat unstructured and uninterrupted. I am going to guess it is similar for students. Although a parent is usually with them during their school day and perhaps siblings, the interruption of fellow classmates is gone - or at least takes a different form (perhaps via emails, etc.)

So, that being said my discipline problems are pretty non-existent. Last year I had to re-direct some students to get them back on track in my virtual classroom (they were chatting off topic) and I had a couple of cases of plagiarism to deal with. Honestly, I can't say I had tons of discipline problems in the traditional classroom either, but the lack of focus on classroom management is definitely different.

I have a much more flexible schedule. Now by that, I don't mean I can work whenever. I have set hours from 8:00-4:00 with a lunch break in there somewhere, but during those hours I have a lot of flexibility when I do what. In a traditional classroom I had class periods, and I knew which students would be in each section on which days. That isn't how it is set up in my online world. I have set live teaching times (2-4 a week depending on how many students and preps) and I have set meeting times (usually in the mornings from 9:00-10:00 when they are scheduled) and then the other time I structure around what I need to get done and who I need to talk with. I like the flexibility and being able to structure my own time around the tasks I need to complete and the needs of my students/families.

It is much easier to differentiate instruction in an online course. All students are given the same curriculum to complete, but I can make additions or deletions to their assignments based on their needs. Students are also able to work at a different pace. They have a minimum of work to complete by the end of the semester, and I provide them with some pacing information, but students can choose to spend longer on one lesson than another. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest advantages of online instruction.

Teaching online is also very transparent. In a traditional school, I went in my classroom and taught and what I did with my students was not very visible to those outside of my room. Sure, I had visitors sometimes and my observations, but that was pretty much where the visibility stopped. In my online classroom, I record my live teaching sessions and post them for anyone to view. Grades are viewable by teachers, admin, students, parents, etc. What I am teaching is visible and how I am teaching it is visible. Reports can be run to see how long it takes me to grade and return feedback to students (we are given a window of time in which grading should take place). Call logs show how often I speak to families. Email logs show what I say to students and families. I am accountable for my teaching and interaction with students/families and it is all visible. I am good with that; in fact, I am GREAT with that.

And probably the most important difference I have seen between my traditional teaching experience and teaching with TCAH is parental involvement. In the brick and mortar schools where I taught, it was always such a chore to get parents interested in what their students were doing or learning in school. In my experience teaching with TCAH, the students' education is more a collaboration with the family than just me and the student. It is a partnership where the parent works at home with the student, and I assist them all in helping the student learn a concept and be successful. Parents are able to log in and view the students' lessons and grades at any time. They know what the student is learning and are involved in the process. I LOVE that.

As I see it, those are the major differences between teaching online and face-to-face. I hope you noticed that I didn't spend much time focusing on technology or not physically seeing the kids. To me those are given and neither make much impact on my teaching. Good teaching is good teaching - online or off. Building relationships with students is something that good teachers do - online or off.

Come on by tomorrow and I'll give you a peek into my day as an online teacher. As always, if you have any questions, please ask!

Online Teaching - What's it all about?

Last year I started a new teaching position with Texas Connections Academy as an online teacher. I have been planning to write some reflections on my first year as an online teacher, but yesterday I decided that perhaps before I reflect on the school year, I should clarify what I do.

Inevitably when someone new finds out what I do, I can tell they are confused and then I get a barrage of questions. So, I thought I would take the time to answer some of those questions now and see if I can paint a more clear picture of what online teaching looks like (at least from my perspective).

The first question I ALWAYS get is about logistics. Where am I and where are my students? It seems that the classroom where students sit in rows of desks is so ingrained in peoples' minds that they have difficulty imagining students learning in any other setting. Well, I am at home in my office where I spend the majority of my school day. I teach from my computer with help from the good ol' Internet, some software, and my telephone. The students are at their homes (or really where ever they work on school work). To learn and accomplish their lesson goals the students need basically the same tools I do - a computer with an Internet connection, their books (or access to online ones), and a phone.

What do I DO all day? Well, I teach. :) I grade papers. I plan lessons. I teach live sessions via an online classroom and Adobe Connect (think Elluminate - what I use is similar but proprietary). I call students who are struggling or who I need to speak with. I answer emails with questions about concepts or assignments. I answer the phone. I talk to parents who need help motivating their students, further challenging their students, or need some help with teaching strategies. I look at reports and see how students are performing on tests, concepts, etc. I attend field trips. I create lessons or clarifying assignments/instructions. I analyze TEKS vs. lessons to make sure all concepts are taught in enough depth. What I don't do is just sit around all day.


What kind of kids do I have? Do I have all of the BAD kids? No, I don't have all of the bad kids. In fact, I have a lot of really GOOD kids. I have students who didn't fit the mold of the traditional brick and mortar school for various reasons or I have families who wanted to try something new. I have competitive athletes, musicians, chess players, actors - students whose schedule makes it difficult to attend school during "normal" school hours. I have students who are autistic, have Asperger's, are high energy - students who might find it difficult to function in a "normal" school setting. I have students who are BRILLIANT and needed something more tailored to their needs. I have students who live in very rural settings and getting to a "normal" school is a chore. I have students whose religious views are perhaps not the mainstream views of the majority. I have students who have had social problems with bullying or "fitting in." I have families who made the decision to do online schooling so they could be more involved and aware of what their students were learning. I have some good, sweet kids.

How do you make that one-on-one connection with so many students? (this one is for you Darren). The same way I do in a face-to-face environment - I talk to them. :) At my school we are "required" to have so much synchronous contact whether in our virtual classroom, on the phone, or in person (at field trips). We also make curriculum based calls to assess how students are learning concepts. In all honesty, I talked to some of my students more last year than in a brick and mortar school. In a traditional classroom when you have large classes, the quiet students who aren't struggling just kind of get overlooked while the teacher is dealing with students who need remediation or those who are discipline problems. It isn't "as easy" to overlook them in an online environment.


How do I know the students are the ones doing the work? Isn't it easy for them to cheat? Sure, it is easy for them to cheat. Let's face it, if they want to, it is easy for them to cheat in a traditional school. So, how do I know they are doing their work? I don't know that every single assignment is completed by the student, but it is easy for me to tell when short answers or essays aren't completed by students. In most of the learning units there is what is called a "portfolio" assignment which is basically either a writing assignment or an application of a skill. If students haven't done the prep work, they are going to struggle with the portfolios. Teachers also conduct curriculum based calls where we ask students about what they are learning. In Language Arts I might ask a general question like, "Tell me about the story you are reading?" or I might ask something more specific and higher level like, "How does the antagonist in story x compare with the antagonist in story y?" The curriculum based calls are logged in a database and can be tracked, so teachers, admin, etc. can see if students are consistently missing questions. Students know they will be accountable for information (most of the calls are not scheduled) and talking to the kids gives the teachers a chance to get to know them.

Those are the main questions I seem to get from people. Perhaps I will write a "day in the life" post before I compose my reflection as well. I think it is important for the public to begin to clearly visualize what online learning is all about and embrace that it is a viable learning opportunity for many.

Feel free to pose further questions in the comments and I will try to get them answered.

A Work in Progress - Alphabet Boxes

I have decided I am that mom that is always doing stuff with their kid in order to stay sane.

I need to be doing something, and I like hanging out and interacting with him so watching television is short lived. Now don't get me wrong, Dylan gets to watch one of his "shows" when he wakes up (right now he is in love with Diego) and he gets to watch a show before he goes to bed, but in between those hours I need us to be busy.

We do all of the "regular" things - color, paint, play with Play-Doh, read, go places (park, library, store, etc), but sometimes I want us to do something different, perhaps educational, and fun for both of us which leads me to the inception of the alphabet boxes.

When I proctored TAKS testing this year, I was stationed at a Sylvan Learning Center, and since all I could do was wander around and watch the kids test ALL DAY, I observed things. One such thing was some alphabet sounds teaching tubs. After testing I looked at them more closely and discovered they came from Lakeshore Learning. I thought they were seriously cute and fun and EXPENSIVE so I didn't think of them much after that.

That is until I saw this post about making letter boxes via "scavenger hunts" with the children.

I thought it sounded like something Dylan and I would enjoy making, so we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and procured some supplies to get us started - small boxes Dylan could open and close, sticky letters, and a few little items to start. Dylan had fun choosing our supplies, and when we got home we looked around for some other things to add to the boxes.

So, this is what they look like.

I know... not too exciting, but the fun part is making them and then adding the contents. Dylan also really likes emptying them and going through the boxes which is really the whole point - associating the alphabet sounds to objects.

Here are some of the sample contents.

The "B" box has birds, a bell, a blue bead, a basket and a basketball (which is Dylan's favorite).

The "D" box has a dinosaur, a donut, a dog, a donkey, a picture of Dylan, and a picture of Daddy.

We still have a couple of empty boxes (K, N, Q, V, X, Y, Z) and a few boxes with only one or two things, hence the work  in progress title. I am hoping we can work on adding items for quite some time.

Here is Dylan examining the contents of one of his boxes (BTW - although Dylan hasn't put any of the things in his mouth, I know they are choking items so he only plays with them while he is supervised).

If you have any suggestions for contents, I would love to hear them!

Keeping busy

I have been meaning to post here countless times, had ideas running through my head, and then have just never followed through. They were all serious ideas about the state of education, technology, and the world in general, etc., but don't worry, this post won't be about serious stuff. I do plan on writing a reflection on my first year of online teaching sometime soon... but not yet.

In this post I am just going to show you what has been keeping me busy this summer (besides Dylan that is)... fun, frivolity, and learning new things.

Sarah introduced me to Pinterest and since I have been some what obsessed with it. If I am on my computer, I am probably on Pinterest or pinning things to one of my boards, and as I have been searching around, I have found countless recipes, sewing patterns, and DIY projects I have wanted to try. So, here is some of what I have been doing.

Cooking - I always cook, but Pinterest has allowed me a quick, easy, and visual way to search and catalog recipes, so I have made several new things over the last couple of weeks. Here are some of the recipes we have enjoyed at my house.

• Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce
• Cucumber Mint Salad
• Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
• Tilapia with arugula, capers, and tomatoes
• Cherry limeade
• Spicy pasta salad with sliced Gouda

Sewing - I bought a sewing machine about two years ago, made a couple of things, and then got frustrated by my lack of sewing talent. I am working on learning and honing my sewing skills and have made the following items over the last couple of weeks.

My first attempt back at sewing was to make a little eye pillow. I get headaches a lot and sometimes coolness helps so I used a pattern by Amy Butler. I made the pillow and case for it. It is filled with flax seed, rice, and dried lavender from my garden. It smells great and stays cool for quite some time after being in the freezer (sorry no pics of this one).

My second attempt was to make a little tote bag. I used tutorial #6 and came out with a pretty cute little tote for myself!

And then I made Dylan a little tote bag so he can carry it when we go to the library for his books and videos.

After I finished the little tote bags, I thought I would try something new, so I made a set of eight cloth napkins, and they turned out really cute! I didn't really use a tutorial or pattern for these. Basically they are 16 inch squares sewn together. :)

 

I have been thinking about sewing some reusable produce bags for awhile, and when I came across this little tutorial, I figured it was time. So far I have only made one, but I plan on making a few more this week. It was SO EASY! I haven't added the drawstring to this yet. I had planned to use the ribbon in the photo but it wasn't long enough so I just sewed it on as a cute embellishment. I have a matching green string I plan to use instead.

The most complicated thing I have sewed is a travel car mat for Dylan. I used this tutorial as the basis of the one I made, but I changed it up a bit.

Here it is all rolled up.

Stretched out ready to roll up.

And here it is rolled out and ready to be played with.

I know it may not look like much, but Dylan was excited with it. He said, "You made me a road!" I think it will come in handy when we travel or go out to eat.

And lest you think I have only been sewing and cooking, I also tried my hand at being handy/crafty. I read this tutorial awhile back about making chalkboard paint and then I saw a tutorial about making an outdoor chalkboard and the little wheels in my head started turning. I finally decided that I would recycle the bi-fold door we removed from our laundry room into a chalkboard for Dylan.

This is what I came up with…

This is the back off the door. Dylan can draw on all four door panels. 

Dylan took time out from running naked through the sprinkler to draw on the chalkboard. It may not be the most beautiful thing, but Dylan picked the paint colors and he loves it which is the important thing.

I have a few other projects in mind before the school year starts. I’m having fun and learning to be crafty!