What Teachers Make

I LOVE this video by Taylor Mali!  If you have not ever seen it, it will leave you cheering, refreshed, and ready to take on a new classroom full of students!

The Flipped Classroom

As I said in an earlier post, I learned briefly about the Flipped Classroom while I was at ISTE this week.  Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the classes although it looked very creative.  I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and pictures on how I could use this in the PreK (or lower elementary) classroom.

ISTE Conference in San Antonio

We had about 14 people from our district go to ISTE in San Antonio this week.  I am still exhausted from it all.  This is a national educational technology conference.


We found out last minute that we were going to actually be able to take some of the classes.  We were originally scheduled to attend the floor only, which in this case, is more than enough in itself.  In the case of PreK, many of the floor products were better suited to me anyway.

Many of the classes are for PreK-12..this ALWAYS mean for 8-12!  I don't find a lot geared to the younger elementary, so that is the only slightly negative thing I have to say about ISTE.  With that said, a friend pointed out that Matt B. Gomez, a Kindergarten teacher/blogger, was there.  I do so wish I knew what classes he was attending beforehand to have a little more guidance on what to take.  This was my first year for ISTE and I would have loved to have a better run down on what I should have gone to.

But guess who I met?  A bunch of characters, but my all time favorite has GOT to be Moby from Brainpop!   I saw him last year as well at the TCEA convention in Austin.  I took the picture and immediately sent it back to my students.  They were just as excited as I was!


Many of the classes were on the Flipped Classroom.  Have you heard of that?  This was the first time I had been introduced to it.  Unfortunately, I was not able to attend any of the classes.  But, from what I can tell, it is letting the students watch a video of some sort at home (the lesson) and then when they come to school they apply what they've learned (the homework).  This way, they can ask questions, discuss the video, and help each other while at school when you have all the resources there with you.  Unlike when you are at home and possibly getting stuck on the concept.  It is very student led while the teacher answers questions and steers students to come up with their own answers.

One table lesson I went to was on QR codes, which I have been particularly interested in the last couple of years.  This is something my 4 & 5 year olds can do.  I am so excited to be making some lessons for next year and posting them online.  I'll have to update this when I get some made.  I love the flexibility of QRs..you can have them provide answers, ask questions, they can be audio, text, a link to a video, a picture, etc.  I can see a lot of student initiated centers and learning going on with QR. 


My mind was on overload the entire time!  There is just so much to take in.  I am very fortunate to have been able to go to ISTE and soak up all it had to offer.

I would love to hear any comments on the flipped classroom!  How you use it..what you like or don't like about it.

Is it ever just too much?

Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TpT, exercising...

I do make a good start, but have such a difficult time keeping up with so many things.  I had about three days worth of Instagram.  I really liked it, but felt my pictures were just dumb compared to the ones around me, so I stopped!  That is SOO sad!! LOL  It would be a different story if I had some chevron in my closet, but I don't!  So, end of story.  No chevron, no instagram.  That's just the way it's going to be! =D

My blog and FB... I don't know, I just don't update enough to merit conversation.  I need to be more creative or at least remember to take pictures when we do our cool stuff in class.  Same with FB.  I'm just not sure what to talk about!  Man, I'm such a Debbie Downer tonight!  I don't mean to be, but I look at all these great venue's and how they should help me connect, and I'm just not connecting!

But I AM exercising, so that's good!  Now, if I would only lose some of the weight...

I don't seem to have slowed down this summer tho we have not gone anywhere.  Busy making sure applications are turned in for my daughter who is starting her Masters.  Super proud of her!!  I guess that is it.  I work on all the stuff going on around me that I don't spend it on the things that I've started!

Say a prayer for my niece Dana.  She had surgery today on her back.  She is young, 30s with THE cutest little boy ever!! 

Insanity and the fitness challenge

Fellow TpTer and blogger Ms.BBZ is holding a fitness challenge in June.  Part of the challenge is an Instagram picture a day, which, yes, I have failed miserably!!  LOL  I started off with a bang, then completely fizzled out!  Now that school is out and I can't use that excuse anymore, I need to get it in gear and start back up!  Here it is if you'd like to join us!  Our hashtag is #PADfitness

The other part of the challenge uses the MyFitnessPal app (which is also online).  We have a small group that encourages one another.  We are able to see that the other person has fulfilled their daily allowance of calories and how much weight they have lost.

The cheers and words of fun and urging on are priceless.  With the app, you can put in what you ate and how many calories it was and how you exercised and how many calories you burned.

To get me started, I bought Zumba Core for the Xbox360 Kinect.  It is SO much fun!!  I look like a mad woman attempting their steps, but I sweat like crazy, which really surprises me!  I am only doing the short 20 minute workout!  (shhhh)

Then June 10 came along!  That's the day the ladies at church (mostly teacher friends) started Insanity.  Can I just say there is a REASON why it is called that?!!  My legs... every muscle is screaming at me at this moment!!  I am inwardly jumping up and down, because I am unable to do it at the moment, that I am on the interview committee at school and not able to go today! HAHA  But, really, I can't wait for the next class!!

I'll go ahead and post what I weigh now. 146.0  (YAY)  I started the week at 146.6  I am still eating about the same.  I am always under the caloric intake... always have been.  My big problem was that TpT came along and who has time to exercise when you are creating!  I needed to start moving again and it is paying off.  I am at the top my weight scale for my age/height and would prefer to be at the bottom of the scale, where my clothes will fit me better.  I couldn't wear my fitted outfits this year.  When I tried, I was very self conscious and not happy so I quit wearing the cute stuff.

Darn!! I just checked the height/weight chart and I was 2 pounds ABOVE the scale!  UGH!!!  So, there ya go!  I am going to try to lose ten pounds.  It puts me where I have ALWAYS been and where I feel best about myself.

Letter of the Week

I have taught PreK a year now and have absolutely loved it!!  OMG the joy, excitement, and things they say!

We use Frog Street Press which introduces several letters at a time.  The first few weeks it introduces the kids names...and then the letters follow that.  What curriculum do you use and in what order do you introduce letters?  What about capital/lower case?  What are some favorite activities that you did this year to go along with introducing them?