Get the Buzz on Blogging!

Well...looks like I'm back in school! I truly enjoyed my little break and actually made an effort to have some "me time" that I documented on my Instagram! So...I fully planned on getting started on my assignments mid-week, but then I was hit with my annual sinus infection/strep throat combo! I even missed a day from work, which never happens! I was laid up for the last part of the week and am just now beginning to feel like my throat might not catch on fire and my head probably will not explode!

So this week, while I was laying in bed, I researched a ton of awesome educational blogs! I have previously found most blogs through Pinterest, but searching topics in feedly was really quite simple! I could really get lost looking at all the teacher resources, ideas and tips...it could be a full time job just taking it all in! I loved that most of the blogs I checked out allowed you to specifically choose your grade level or area of expertise. I think my favorite one was Teaching Blog Addict! Not only were there links to hundreds of related blogs but there were also teacher freebies (which I adore!) and pin boards organized by themes!

In the past, I have subscribed to the few blogs I follow through my email. Each day when there's an update, I get an email. That was the "old-fashioned-ME", but the new "techie-ME" will be using feedly as a way to organize and get updates for my blogs! It was really simple to search and add the blogs I wanted. I loved that I could organize them into categories as well. For now, they are all under "educational", but as I add more, I will be more specific with my categories. Who knew this even existed? Probably everyone...except me! Ha!
Check out this quick tutorial on how to set up and use feedly!

Hope you learned something new about blogging like I did this week. It's such a great way to share ideas and acquire professional development right at your fingertips! Have a great week!

Happy Blogging-

Sarah

Wrapping It Up!

I feel like all I have done this week is wrap things up! I met with parents for conferences to wrap up the 9 weeks; I am wrapping up my online technology class; I wrapped up the first quarter of the school year with my students; Fall sports are wrapping up for my kids...I even wrapped up a gift for my mom's 70th birthday! It's pretty exciting when things come to an end, because it means that we can look back on our accomplishments and forward to the future.

The final assignment for my Master's class was creating my own website on Google Sites. To be honest, I really thought this was going to be way over my head. But just like all the other assignments, I jumped in and gave it a whirl!  I began by viewing YouTube videos to help me know just what to do. Check this tutorial out to learn how to build your own website!

The expert I watched suggested using a template that was already created for a classroom site. So I thought, wow...this is going to be easier than I thought! I began by creating a site and choosing a template. As soon as I started editing, I became frustrated by all the formatting and was unable to edit some parts of the template. After about an hour and a half of messing with it, I deleted it and started over. I DO NOT recommend using a template, but maybe you'll try it and have better luck than I did! So on my second try, I simply added the pages myself. After looking at some examples and studying the rubric, I had a pretty good idea of what I would include on my classroom website. I began adding information, linking websites, embedding videos and inserting pictures. I was pretty proud of my final product when I wrapped things up! Check out Mrs. Birchfield's Classroom 5th Grade webpage!

What I have truly enjoyed about this class is that it has pushed me out of my comfort zone and reminded me that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to! As a mom and a teacher, it is my responsibility to model this kind of perseverance if I expect my kids to do the same. I also know that I will use many of the Google tools I have learned in my everyday practice. When new technology is presented to me, I won't be intimidated anymore! 

Thanks for visiting my blog each week. I hope you have learned and been able to use many of the cool tools that I have presented.

That's a wrap!

-Sarah

Knock, Knock...Opportunities to Learn!

The above picture was taken today after my daughter's team took second place at a local soccer tournament! They were pretty discouraged by this championship loss because they took second in their last tournament in August. Although I understand the disappointment of losing, I encouraged her that it's a great opportunity to learn! The above picture also depicts what I do about 75% of my life on the weekdays and weekends! It's amazing when I think about all the time I have spent at the soccer field watching my kids play....and there is still so much I just don't know about soccer!! Learning new things can be daunting, but it is also exciting to think that we will never know E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! There will always be a better play on the soccer field, a newer idea in the classroom and a more efficient way to use technology. So what do we do when we get discouraged?....We just keep going. Some new learning I did this week was creating a playlist in YouTube and making a picture collage in Picasa. I love finding ways to enhance my teaching, but I especially love learning new opportunities to share with my class!

YouTube and YouTube EDU

YouTube has been around a while, I mean, even I have used it at home and in the classroom!  But seriously, YouTube is a great resource for videos to share with your students, as well as a teaching tool with helpful tutorials.  If not for the tutorials on YouTube, I'm not entirely sure I would still be sitting here typing this blog!  Now one thing I didn't know existed was YouTube EDU. It is a feature of YouTube that allows you to find educational videos with content for any age. You can search within your grade level and subject area to get more specific videos for your use. Another thing I discovered while navigating new features of YouTube was TubeSnack Playlist.  This awesome feature allows you to edit videos and cut out parts that you don't want. You can also merge multiple videos together making them into ONE video to share!  In my classroom, we just finished a unit on Order of Operations and I created this playlist to review the concept throughout the year! It will also come in handy during math intervention for those who need more practice! 

Picasa

Now for a person who loves to take pictures, I am always interested in more ways to store and display them!  Picasa is a tool in Google that files your pictures on your computer into folders and then allows you to select pictures to create a collage! You can select your background color, sizing, spacing and even the order of your pictures!  I think kids would have a lot of fun telling their personal stories with this cool tool!  They could use it to tell about Christmas break or as a wrap up for the end of the year. It would be a great addition to a writing piece or presentation, too!  Picasa is free and very user friendly! Check out the collage I created with some pictures from our Kindergarten Buddy day. We helped our buddies count and add their steps on a beautiful Fall day!

Now, to combine both tools above...a very useful YouTube video on Picasa!

YouTube+Picasa=N.L.O. (New Learning Opportunity)!

Love of learning (in my opinion) is one of the most essential understandings we can model for our students! It's important in school, in sports and in life that we are willing to learn new things, try new things, practice new things and fail at new things in order to succeed!  I hope you enjoy this week's cool tools and find use in your own classrooms!

Happy Learning!

-Sarah