I honestly thought I was on my A game in the classroom and I always received amazing teacher evaluations.
I was always reflecting, improving, reflecting, researching, and improving to meet my students needs. I thought I was doing everything or at least trying to do everything with regard to student success but then I took a new position this last year.
I could write a book or two on the first year. It's one of those things where you don't know what you don't know. This summer I plan to write a series of blog articles to help teachers get started with a Makerspace in their own classroom and integrate technologies so students are producers and not consumers. I thought it might be helpful coming from someone who has been through it and who was also a classroom teacher for the past 14 years.
I wanted to make this post short and sweet so let me get to it.
When I started my new position I realized there was a whole new world different then I was use to when it came to teaching. Even though I worked very hard at trying to be 21st century teacher and making learning relevant for students in the traditional classroom, I found myself at the bottom of a mountain looking way up at all the new learning that was ahead of me in this new space and position. Not because I needed to teach students how to be creative, innovative, and makers, but because as the year progressed I realized how I limited my students in the past to my own knowledge. I realized that in this new space it was difficult to see academic discrepancies. As the year progressed, I found out that many times the lower academic students in this space and the students with behavior issues had no issues in the space and excelled. They were often the leaders. They were inspired, motivated, engaged, on task and LEARNING. I haven't blogged a lot about it but I have posts on my Instagram feed. I love the post where you can hear a little girl saying, "I'm so proud!" after figuring out how to hook a Makey-Makey and coding to her "cardboard coffee machine." Actually, here is the short video.
This is the same student with a second iteration. She added music so her "customers" wouldn't get bored while waiting. Watch out Starbucks! This is a 5th grader who added this in (2) 45 minute labs with NO prior experience. I also had never heard of a Makey-Makey prior to this year.
I began to see learning in a different light as I learned beside my students. I began to see how I would change my teaching if I were back in the traditional classroom. If you want to learn more and track my journey, subscribe to this blog. I hope to help teachers get stated in integrating electronics and technology in the classroom and I don't mean using I-pads, QR Codes, and Google - although those are great tools. If you need help with those, leave me a comment as well.
Know that at the beginning of my year, I wanted to melt the legos and I had NO clue about coding, micro-controllers. LED's, Making with Cardboard, Little-Bits, squishy circuits, Arduino, Makey-Makey and so forth. Even though I have a masters degree, engineering, electronics, and robotics were something smart people do. That misconception came from not ever being exposed to it. I don't want my students to think the same thing. Now I am loving it!
Don't forget to subscribe to this blog to learn how I did it and you can too. I will give you easy steps to get you started - PROMISE! and I didn't melt the legos.
I ran across a very informative website that will give you an idea about what I am talking about. You can start with this link HERE. It will help you be mindful when having students use electronics for activities or projects for a start. No affiliation. I could read the site for hours upon hours.
I am not an expert but I am willing to research, learn, try it out and share. What do you want to know/learn about it? Leave a comment.
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