My GOALS for Back 2 School

Well first off, I am SOOO excited about my new blog design!!!! I absolutely love it, and can't thank Christi at Designs by Christi and Mrs. Fultz Classroom for creating an awesome design AND budget friendly. I wasn't planning on getting one for awhile, but the premade one I had found was causing me some difficulty when I wanted to add something. If you are thinking about redoing your blog, definitely check her out!

It is always good to reflect and think about your goals, but especially at the beginning of a new school year. I am linking up with I {HEART} Recess for her monthyl Goals Linky Party. I am going to print this one off and put it in my teacher binder to keep it fresh in my mind when I start slacking off!

Personal

Leave school by 5:30 and "keep going" - I originally had 5:00 but faculty meetings don't even get out till 5:30 this year! But 5:30 is better than my 6:00-7:00 last year. So I want to use my time wisely when at school and leave earlier, but I also want to "keep going" when I get home. If I come home and sit down on the couch and open the computer/iPad/TV, I never get anything done! My husband does the cooking, but I need to be more proactive in keeping the house picked up and would like to do at home workouts rouitinly. I got Zumba on Wii for Christmas and haven't used it yet! Once I can do that for awhile I would like to get a gym membership. I hope that if I get a routine established, I'll keep it!

Organization

Keep up with grading and missing work - I got in a habit of leaving it till the weekend, and when I had TWO aide's last semester they helped a lot. I printed out a blank grade report to record grades before typing in the computer. I didn't think I would like it, but it's nice to quickly add them into the computer. Missing grades was a nightmare last year! I need to keep up with it with the bin, put names on papers when absent, and empty it at least twice a week. I printed missing grade reports for students, and emailed them to parents as well. Communication is the key.

Planning

Plan AHEAd and RTI - I will have afternoon planning for half the year, and then morning planning the second half. So that will be an adjustment. With my grade level partner being gone for 12 weeks as well, a lot of the planning will be left up to me. RTI planning is sometimes the hardest and most forgotten, when it should really be very purposefully. I have a Tier 3 class that meets everyday, and a Tier 2 class that meets once a week after school. A lot of times it was on the go. I really need help in being able to re-teach the fundamentals of math.

Professional

My husband is gone this week and my classroom is 95% done so now is the time for me to get some of my internet classes knocked out! I slacked off when I was out of town for three weeks. I am taking a free online course from Stanford about How to Learn Math (wow! wouldn't this help with RTI planning?!) and have a one year membership to Teaching Blog Traffic School  to help work on my blog. The class is based on completition and I have until the end of September to complete everything. So with no distractions, now would be the perfect time for me to get some work done! But I also need to keep up with it during the year!

Students

Make meaning of math and math discourse - Laura helped me focus on this last year, but it was no where near the level it needs to be. My students should have meaningful math discouse with each other and I need to model the correct ways to do this often and remind them of the expectations.

Motto

Your never fully dressed without a smile - This is from one of my favorite Broadways. I chose it to overall help me and my students be a better person, student, teacher, etc. I want to build a classroom community that is safe to question and learn.

What are some of your goals for this school year?

Tune into Technology: Technology Management and Organization

So this was the first week I have "unofficially" been back at school. I helped out in the office a bit, worked on my classroom, and have been trying to get organized. But I am quickly seeing what my blogging will be like come August. I apologize for being late with this linky party, but am thankful they leave it open for a week. This week is dedicated to management and organization. I do not deal much with the organization part since I do not have any devices in my classroom, everything is BYOD. But I have been learning more about the management part.

Set HIGH expectations

I have high expectations for behavior in my classroom regardless, and reinforce them often. I use devices more than other teachers on my team and they love using them. They know from the beginning that this is a privilege and they can just as easily lose this. If you are on another app, texting, facebook, anything your device will be taken up, turned into the office for seven days (board policy) and you will not be allowed to use a device on our next activity. I only had a few problems the whole year. Taking away a phone from a teenager? You might as well be cutting off a limb, and they don't like to risk it. :-)

1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me

Now that is not the attention grabber I use for middle school, but have you ever tried to get and maintain their attention when they have technology in their hands?! This one I actually picked up from my mom! She is a substitute teacher primarily for high school and will let the students listen to music while they are working. She tells they must stay on one play list, turn the device upside down, and she should not be able to hear the volume. Now, I only let them listen to music for rewards, but I have them turn them upside down when waiting for instructions, beginning the activity, etc. This way I have their attention! 

Downloads

If there is an app to download, they must have it downloaded before they come to class, or they will not be able to use the device. This is just a time management thing. Our Wi-Fi is spotty at times, a lot of students don't know their iTunes passwords, or parents do not let them download without permission. I let them know well in advanced what app they need, and what devices it will work on. I will also give them something to help them download the correct app, but you'll have to wait and see for next Thursday on QR codes for that one! ;-)

I also keep this poster up in my classroom at all times. It lets them and parents know what kinds of apps we use regularly, or ones that I suggest for math help. Great for Back to School night!

Apps to Download - TPT

iPad Cart Checkout

We have a checkout sheet we have to use for each class period whenever we have the iPad cart. My kids have a number for their calculator card that they use, and I assign iPads based on this number as well. I have my Teacher Helper stand at the cart to hand them out, while I take care of the list. Their names have already been written on the list, but we have to sign for each one. 

What device can I use?

Not all apps are available on all markets. Typically, the Apple market has more educational apps. If you are doing a Bring Your Own Device activity, I would suggest this FREE poster I made to let students know which devices they can use.

Bring Your Own Device - TPT

What are some of the things you use for classroom management or organization?
Make sure to Tune Back Into Technology for QR Codes!