Google Level 2 Boot Camp

Let me start by saying my school district is great! I work in a fabulous school district that offers so many great opportunities for professional development. One of those great opportunities that I was able to participate in was the Google Level 2 Boot Camp sponsored by Eduscape.

This Boot Camp is a two day training from Eduscape that allowed educators to have an in person walk through with the exam materials to help them prepare attendees for the Google Level 2 Educator Certification exam. 

My school district offered to provide the location and host this great event, inviting teachers in the region to attend for a fee. My district allowed me to attend for free. Our technology department graciously paid for me to attend this training so I can be a Level 2 certified educator. 

I have shared in a previous post about earning the Level 1 certification and how I went through the process on my own. You can find that post here. 

My goals for this Boot Camp are: 

1. Keep my students in mind as I learn how to use various tools in different ways. How can I take these tools back to my classroom and use them to enhance student learning? How can these tools benefit student learning and student mastery of concepts? 

2. Think of ways to bring this information back to teachers on my campus. Is there a tool that I went through during this Boot Camp that could benefit a teacher I know? Will something from this boot camp assist a teacher with something they're working on? 

By the end of this training I hope to provide more information and a reflection the process with getting my Level 2 certification. 

Google Classroom from a Librarian's Perspective

Google is everywhere! Really, it's everywhere. It's very commonly used as a verb now. "Just Google it." "Let me Google that." It's a popular tool in our every day life now.

Google has even found AMAZING ways to work their way into our everyday academic life in schools as well.

When I first started teaching 10 years ago I never would have imagined the type of technology I would have access to as a teacher, let alone a librarian. In my first classroom, the only form of technology I had was one computer that was shared with another class. I had a chalkboard to write on and no overhead projector. I also had to share the room with another class. We divided the class with cabinets.

I was only in that classroom for a semester because I graduated mid year from college. After that first semester I got the position at the school I am still currently teaching at. The first classroom I had here was a huge step up. Not only was it MY room, and only my room, but I had a dry erase board to start. I even had my own computer and a Promethean Board. It was great!

Over the years things have developed more and more. Now, our school is 1 to 1 with Chromebooks. I'm no longer just a classroom teacher, but I'm the librarian.

With our 1 to 1 initiative came Google.

We all learned how to use Google Drive, Docs, Forms, etc within our first year and slowly started infusing them into our lesson plans. Then came Google Classroom.

Google Classroom is a fantastic LMS (Learning Management System) and by far one of the easiest to use. There are others out there, but Google Classroom seems to be the one on everyone's mind.

As a teacher/librarian Google Classroom has been very beneficial for me to reach my students at anytime of the day in or out of the library.

I've set up a Google Classroom for each grade level on my campus (6-8) and at the beginning of the year I give them the code they need to join the class. I usually post a welcome activity and/or message on Classroom so the first thing they see is something fun and positive. I also post important information about the library and how it functions on a daily basis.

Since my schedule is so hectic I don't get to see classes for library time much this year. So, Google Classroom has become the outlet I need to communicate with our students when I can't see them in the library. Here are some other ways I use Google Classroom as a librarian...

1. Post a document about new books that have just been added to circulation in the library. On that document is the title, author, lexile level, reading counts quiz information (Scholastic version of AR), and any other information about the book such as a quick snip or summary.

2. Poll questions about new books to order. I like getting input from students as I'm creating a new order of books. I want to know what they want to read. I'm continuously trying to draw interest and to keep students coming back.

3. Reviews on books that I have read or other students have read. This is a great tool to get students interested, get them excited about a book.

4. Quick little book related activities for the students to work on (Use Google Drawing to design their own bookmark; Use Google Slides or Drawings to create an advertisement for their favorite book)

5. Reminders about checked out books, deadlines, etc.

There are so many ways for Google Classroom to be beneficial to a librarian. I know there are more ways out there and I'm still discovering them. Utilize Google Classroom almost as if it was your website for your students to use. It's a great communication tool for you as a librarian to reach your number one stake holders, your students.

If you use Google Classroom as a librarian, how else have you used it? Please share in the comments below.

Net Force Practice

Our second semester has been super busy! Not only is the library hopping with books being checked in and out, but my science classes are rocking their way through the content to prepare for state testing in May. 

We kicked off the second semester with Forces and Motion. It's a big topic! We worked a lot on forces, understanding new vocabulary, working with new units of measurement, demonstrating a bunch of pushes and pulls, and looking at net force. 

As we were going through net force some students would get a little mixed up with whether they needed to add or subtract and which direction the object was moving. So, to give them some extra help I created a set of task cards with net force practice problems. I knew the only way to really get better at figuring out net force was for them to work through more practice problems. 

I created the Net Force Problems Task Card Set for students to get the extra practice they needed to understand how to calculate net force. I created 40 task cards with various net force problems. I even added in a blank sheet of task cards for teachers and/or students to create their own net force problems. There is also an answer sheet and answer key provided. 

Students can work on these during various parts of a lesson or even on different days. They could use these in the following ways.

1. A bell ringer: Assign just two or three cards as practice and have the student record their answer on their answer sheet. The teacher could score them and give feedback before they complete others.

2. Early Finisher Work: You have a student that finishes early? You have a few minutes of down time before a transition? Have them work a few problems for early finishers work.

3. Stations: I've done stations with my middle school students and they love it. This could be a very easy little station for them to work on their net force calculation practice.

4. Quick Assessment: Give students a variety of the task cards and use it as a quick assessment.


Task cards are great resources to use in many different ways. These net force task cards are simple to infuse in various ways in your classroom or lesson. 

If you're interested in using these task cards in your classroom, you can get them by clicking the picture below to access the product in my TpT store. 

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!

Wow! I can't believe it's 2017. I feel like I just graduated college and began my teaching career. By the end of this year it will be 10 years since I graduated. Time flies when you're having fun! I know like many teachers, I've had my ups and downs in these past years, but I'm really looking forward to so many more.

Whenever a new year begins everyone has new energy, new goals, and new resolutions to start their year off on the right foot. I'm one of those people. It's like the first day of school all over again. I'm thinking of ways to welcome the students back, lesson plan ideas, strategies, ways for me to stay organized, etc. This year is no different.

I have a lot on my plate as 2017 starts. Not only am I a librarian for my middle school, but I teach four classes. I'm now taking on a 5th class during this second semester. I'm really excited about it and look forward to getting to see another group of kids every day. I've taken the plunge into Teachers Pay Teachers, very slowly though. I think my toes are just a little wet right now. I'm still actively working on our school's STEM program, bringing in resources, building our Makerspace, and more. There's even more on top of all that, but I enjoy it!

My goals for 2017...
1. Get organized and STAY organized.
2. Blog more, share more! (I don't post enough.)
3. Create my own class interventions for students that need the extra push.
4. Continue to learn (always a goal, no matter what).
5. Continue to always put my students needs first.

Those are just a few of my goals for 2017. There's always more on my list and that list will grow through the year.

Education is a passion and that passion is something I enjoy living every day.

What are your educator goals for 2017? Feel free to share in the comments below.

I Am Princess X (Book Review)

I Am Princess X
by Cherie Priest

Summary from Amazon: 
Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sara Dessen, & illustrated throughout with comics. 

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure. 

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her. 

Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window. Princess X? When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon - her best friend, Libby, who lives. 

_________________________________________________________

When I picked out this book to read from the library, it was with a purpose. I was reading this as part of a librarian/teacher book club on Twitter. It's the last book of the season and I was bound and determined to finish it before the chat so I could actually participate in one. (I tend to get behind, don't finish the book, and miss the chats.)

I read the summary of the book several times, and I kept putting it off. I kept thinking, "I'm not going to like this book." "This book isn't my usual read. I don't think I'm going to get into it." I'd look at it and wait a little longer before checking it out, look at it, and wait some more. I wasn't completely sold on trying this book out just yet.

I finally checked out the eBook from the library and got started on it. The first thing that pulled me into this book were the illustrations. This is a novel mixed with a little bit of comic/graphic novel. It really pulled me in and gave me a break from reading chapter after chapter. It was a little surprise you get to when you're reading and it refreshes your mind and your eyes. It allows you to connect some visuals with the text that you're reading.

As the story begins you meet the main character May and her best friend Libby. I quickly made a connection with the two because it reminded me of a friendship I had when I was growing up. You quickly were drawn into their lives and their imagination, before tragedy strikes.

The author gives you this warm opening and then you're devastated, quickly, by the death of a character. I was so drawn to the characters already that I felt the emotions May went through as she dealt with her best friend's death.

The story skips a few years and you're taken into May's life as she splits her time between her parents. That was another connection for me as well. My parents divorced when I was a little younger than May, but I understood what she was going through. She was going from one place to another and only seeing her parents at certain times. It's a different lifestyle and one that can through a young persons emotions through a loop.

The story follows May as she's visiting her dad back where her and Libby were best friends. She soon discovers a piece of her past, of her and Libby's past all around Seattle. These signs and discoveries take her on a journey to find out where they're coming from and who is placing them all over the town. It brings on a new friendship with someone and ultimately brings her a huge shock.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was quickly drawn into the story, felt what the characters were feeling, and followed May on her journey to discover the truth. I highly recommend the book to anyone. I'm anxious to add this book to the library at my school. I hope my students have as much fun reading it as I did.

Reflection on Level 1 Google Educator Certification

Certification's are a norm for teachers. Once you graduate college you earn your certification or your teaching certificate (after you pass a few tests.) Well, for teachers the learning continues on and on through their career. No one teacher can't keep the same set of skills or knowledge and expect to teach for many years. Learning and education evolve so much and so quickly that we need to keep up with the changes.

A lot of the changes in education have revolved around technology. What is the newest and latest that can be used in the classroom? How can teachers incorporate these tools into their lesson? What do teachers need to know to use these in their lesson?

As a librarian on my campus I work a lot with the technology that we use with our middle schoolers. I ask myself, how can I be a valuable resource to the teachers and students on my campus? I know in order to be that resource for them I need to stay on top of the changes in technology and how those changes impact our classrooms.

One of the things I came across a couple of years ago was the Google Educator Certification. I didn't know much about it and I wasn't using a lot of Google apps or anything in my classroom at the time. The more I looked into it though the more it became something I was interested in doing. Mainly I wanted to do it to learn more about what Google to do for me in the classroom.

The interest grew when we became a 1 to 1 school with Google Chromebooks. (These things are awesome by the way!) All of our core classes use Chromebooks, including the library (yay me!). As I began using the Chromebooks in a classroom setting and in the library setting I was learning more and more. I was able to see how the students used them, how they could impact a learning objective and how it was impacting the student's learning process. We were using many different things such as Google Classroom and Google Drive.

I kept going back and forth with the certification until this summer when I finally decided to go for it. They had revamped the certification a little bit since I first started looking, but it was still easy.

To get started you just go to the following website: https://edutrainingcenter.withgoogle.com/

The site tells you everything you need to know. You sign in with the google account you'd like to use and head over to the training tab at the top. (https://edutrainingcenter.withgoogle.com/training)

Once there you're going to see two levels, start with level 1. When you enter the level 1 training area you're going to see all the units and topics that will be covered. The training is built for you to move at your own pace. It is NOT timed or scheduled for you to complete at certain days. This part is completely structured to fit your schedule and the time you have to devote to the process. I spent a few days going through and reading the units, watching the videos and taking notes. (Yes, I took notes for reference purposes and for use later on if I needed them.)

Once you finish the training units it'll tell you that you're ready for the certification exam. The exam for Level 1 is only $10. I was lucky to get a voucher to take the test for free. Once you're ready, you go and purchase the test. The link to do that is available at the end of the training. After you purchase the test they usually say the test will be ready in 24-48 hours. Mine was ready in less than 24 hours. They will send an email with instructions and you're good to start.

The test does take time. They give you 3 hours to take the exam. I took the test in 2 hours. You'll want to take your time. After you're done you will know in a few minutes whether you passed or not.

The whole certification process is very simple. I liked how the units were organized and broken up and that it was strictly geared towards education. It wasn't a how-to tool on using the different apps. It was a guide at how to use them in an education setting. It was great to see how others use different tools and how I was able to think of ways to use the apps myself.

If anyone is looking to further their professional development in technology and with Google, I highly recommend going through this process.

If you have any questions about the process please feel free to let me know. Leave a comment below or send me an email.

Good Luck!

ISTE Ignite Session Inspiration

A lot of educators look forward to their summer breaks for the relaxation. Many of those educators look forward to the end of June when the ISTE conference takes place. For me, I look forward to a little bit of both. I haven't been able to attend ISTE in person yet, but have had the privilege to attend via #NOTATISTE16, a Google+ community, that was started a couple of years ago.

Today was the kick off for ISTE in Denver, Colorado. So many people were flooding Twitter with their arrivals, their pictures, videos and so much more. One of the events that started the ISTE conference was the first ISTE Ignite Session. Round 1 was held earlier today and thanks to several people at ISTE I was able to catch a few of these sessions via Periscope. 

One of the sessions that was really amazing was done by Brad Flickinger called "Reward Learning with Badges". 

Brad opened his quick Ignite session with some very key quotes based on the use of technology with young people, "Knowledge is no longer King," and "Engagement is low." He hits on key points, our students are wrapped up with just using the technology to use it. They're not looking to use it wisely or in a way that will help them discover or learn. They take their technology for granted with the use of all the apps and sites out there they have access too. 

Brad addresses the use of badges on his campus as a way of developing skills not knowledge. The students earn their badges as they use and develop a skill in their learning. The badges are used to keep score, for recognition, and for motivation. I see the students using this as a competition in a way, see who gets what badge and how. This develops that motivational tool to achieve as much as the next and a way for them to take ownership of their learning. 

On Brad's campus the teachers decide what skills are needed for their units and then break them into levels (level 1, 2, etc.). Level 1 is the basic skill level and once they meet all of those skills they move up to level 2. He also addresses that each level is a different time frame of completion. The projects may take a few days and some may take a few months. The levels are scaffolding their skills so they're building on them. This is a fantastic idea. Give them basic areas to begin with and move up from there, gradually building their skill sets. 

Badges are a great tool to give students the motivation to learn, the motivation to be creative, the motivation to invent, the motivation to discover who they are. It allows them to learn at their own pace, differentiated learning, as well as give them ownership of this learning. 

I've been looking into badges here and there for about a year and this was one of the coolest things I've seen about them in a while. It was a quick presentation, but Brad gave such valuable information about how it works at his school. I'd like to just start off small in one of my classes to see how it works this next year and then possibly take it even further. I'd also really like to see how it could work with a staff of teachers. Would it offer the same motivations to teachers as it would students? Would it be just as beneficial? How could you get teacher buy in with the badges for their professional development? 

I look forward to learning so much more during the next few days of #ISTE2016. Were you able to see this Ignite session today? If so, what were your thoughts? 

Happy learning during #ISTE2016!