PLN Blogging Challenge-1

One night while I was participating in the #njed Twitter chat, I came upon some other educators discussing blogging, and the challenges of getting into a regular blogging routine. Somehow someone decided to make it a challenge to blog once a month. They created a Google doc to keep track of all of the names and links to the blogs, so we can keep each other accountable. I signed up and now here I am, blogging. 

I was nominated, by Drew, for this wonderful idea of blogging along with other educators who want to share their ideas and collaborate with each other. Here are the rules of the challenge:

The PLN blogging Challenge:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers. They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I have been to China twice to teach English to students at a Martial Arts School. I went in June-July of 2006 and 2007. It was a WONDERFUL experience. I hope that the "little brother" I had there has had a wonderful time growing into a young adult and that he has a good life.
   
2. I am certified with my CEAS in NJ for Elementary Education AND all 4 core Middle School subject areas. I only had to retake one praxis.
   
3. I love attending Professional Development workshops. It helps me see where I want to be in my career, and helps me understand the challenges and great things going on in the education field.
   
4. I am addicted to Vera Bradley bags and Alex and Ani bracelets. I have too many bags to count, and currently have 7 different bangles that I wear.
   
5. I love reading, preferably fiction books. I still enjoy reading "teeny bop" books, as they are quick reads.
   
6. I have started a good collection of books on anything education related- pedagogy, techniques, etc.
   
7. I love taking pictures and one day hope to be able to take good quality portraits.
   
8. I started teach Sunday School at my church and love the munchkins that come.
   
9. I am attempting to plan an education conference for New Teachers and one for Pre-Service Teachers with an awesome organization (NJASCD).
   
10. Within 2013 I not only got more involved with Twitter, but I started participating in Twitter chats to grow my PLN.
    
11. My favorite holiday is Christmas. 

Questions from Drew

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?
   I enjoy watching  A LOT of movies, but I guess my all time favorite is The Wizard of Oz.
   
2. If you could go to have attended any concert anytime in history, what would it have been?
   I guess it would have been cool to attend the concert that support Sandy relief in 2012.
   
3. What do you do for fun?  Hobby?
   I enjoy reading fiction books. I enjoy looking up different ways to help improve my teaching skills. I enjoy PD events. Those are all fun for me. I also enjoy watching movies. A hobby I have is doing various arts and crafts projects.
4. What two guests would make the best comedic pair as co-hosts for the Oscars?
   I am always bad at this part because I feel like I never know any comedians. I guess maybe Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy might be a nice duo because they did well in their movie together. 
5. Cat, Dog or Goldfish? Why…
   I have never had a cat or a dog because we thought I was allergic to them when I was little. My brother did have a fish. I want a dog though, in the next 10 years. 
6. How do you caffeinate?
   Depends on the coffee shop. Mostly its a Caramel latte (hot or iced) or a Caramel macchiatto. 
7. Favorite twitter chat?
   #njed, #ntchat, #satchat (I couldn't pick just one)
8. Best place you ever vacationed?
   Disney World. 
9. Best book you’ve read in 2013?
   I read several books in 2013 but I guess my favorite was Teach Like a Champion. 
10. Favorite television shows?
    So many!! Some are still on the air and others aren't. Grey's Anatomy, Tomorrow People, Arrow, How I Met Your Mother, FRIENDS, Teen Wolf, The Walking Dead, NCIS, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, That 70's Show, etc.
11. What is one thing you never/rarely share that you are exceptionally proud of?
    I guess it is the fact that I went to China to teach English. I speak of it from time to time, but I am extremely proud of it. I am also extremely proud that I was able to pass the middle school praxis tests for 4 different subject areas. 

Now it is my turn to nominate some bloggers:
I will put some of the fellow bloggers from the #blogamonth challenge. Feel free to join the challenge here http://blogamonth.weebly.com/.

Finally, according to the rules, it’s my turn to ask 11 questions of my nominees:

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

2. What made you decide to go into education?

3. Who was your favorite teacher and why?

4. What drew you to the school you work in now? 

5. Why do you blog? 

6. What is your favorite Twitter chat?

7. What is your favorite holiday? 

8. Where would you like to go, if you could go anywhere in the world?

9. What is biggest challenge you've ever overcome? 

10. What is one goal you have for 2014?

11. What is your favorite color?

2013 recap

I haven't posted a blog post in a LONG time. 2013 got a little crazy. In August I received a phone call for an interview, which I happily took. It was for a long, per diem substitute job in Edison Township. I interviewed with the science supervisor and she, right away, recommended me to the Principal of the middle school where the opening was. I interviewed with the principal and accepted the position. I was ECSTATIC! I finally had my own classroom, even if it was only for 2 months. I was so happy to set up the room and start the school year off with these students. They really touched my heart, and made my 1st real "LTS" job a success! I may have been a little hesitant to go too far out of the box, but it was a learning experience.

Once that job was over, I just subbed per diem for random teachers in the district. I have been on about 3 other interviews since and am waiting to hear back from them all. It is all a learning experience, which I am happy to take.

2014 will be a better year for blogging. Enjoy the last 2 days of 2013!!

Twitter Chats To Grow Your PLN

This week I participated in my first Twitter chats. I took part of #educoach on Wednesday at 10pm. I also participated in #atPLC at 9pm on Thursday and #PLC101 at 10pm on Thursday. I had participated in twitter "chats" during conferences, but these were my first REAL chats. I LOVED IT!!!
I wanted to write just a little bit here about how I think they can be beneficial to your PLN.

1. You connect with other educators
2. You can easily ask a question and get a variety of answers from other educators.
3. You can earn PD hours for just chatting with new colleagues and friends.
4. You can find new workshops and conferences to attend.

Summer Professional Development #10-Montclair University 21st Century Teacher Camp

This summer I participated in my first MOOC. MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses. This particular one was offered by Montclair State University through their  ADP Center. This 8-week course focused on various technologies that can be used in the classroom. Each module had a different focus and followed a similar format. There was a discussion forum based off of an article or video we could view. The project each week was different. One week it may have been a lesson plan while another week a behavior plan. I really enjoyed each week's module, discussion and project. I am happy to have participated and earn 40 hours. I cannot wait for next year's camp!!!

Summer Professional Development #9- TeachMeet NJ 2013

On Thursday, 8/22/13, I attended the 2nd annual TeachMeet NJ at Stockton College in Galloway,NJ. Once again, I loved every minute of it. I had a fantastic time. I headed towards Stockton at 6am and arrived there a little after 6:30. Registration started at 7am. I saw two of my friends from college as I checked in. It was great to catch up with them. It started around 8:30am. During the 1st session I went to a conversation about picking the right app for your curriculum. I thought he would give us more suggestions on different apps to use, but he gave us information on how to better EVALUATE apps that we use. It was good information. During the 2nd session, I presented my 1st EVER professional presentation!!!!!! I was so nervous. There was actually a lot of people that came in. Almost every seat was filled! :) I started a few minutes early, and finished early! Then I was able to try and better explain some things that the audience wanted to understand. At the 3rd session slot, I went to the session on Infographics. I can't wait to try and make some more soon! I then attended sessions on Pinterest (finding good resources), a mystery Skype (how to have children guess your location), how to become a Google Certified Teacher, and how to better use ClassDojo in the classroom. I met up with my friends for lunch and then we went to the app smackdown. I love this part of the day because you are able to see different apps that are used by educators that you may not have connected with that day. Instead of more sessions like they did last year, there was an option for a more "hands on" or in depth discussion on a few of the sessions. I went to one that talked about easy ways to flip the classroom. It was a great time overall.

               

Summer Professional Development #8- Edcamp Leadership

Today was my 8th professional development session of the summer. I attended Edcamp Leadership at Kean University. It was attended by a lot of administrators and supervisors. It was nice to be able to network with such a great group of educators though. I attended the first session with Jessica that talked about using Google Apps to address the Common Core Standards. It was cool to see how easy it can be to have teachers use Google Apps that address the Common Core Standards. Then we went to another session on using WordPress to create a great website for your district. After lunch we went to a session that talked about Hiring, Interviewing and Retaining New Teachers. It was cool to see what other principals look for when they search for applicants. Then I sat through a tutorial of how to build a WordPress website. Overall, it was a great time. I have one more workshop before the end of the summer. =) Can't wait!

Summer Professional Development # 7- Kean Institute for CommonCore-Statewide Teacher Conference

Today, August 8, 2013, I attended the Kean Institute for Common Core-Statewide Teacher Conference at the Kean University STEM building. WOW! It is such a beautiful building. I got a free book when I signed in! I was so happy to get a free book, especially since they were on my reading list. Our morning keynote was given by Dr. Tracey Severns, Chief Academic Officer at the NJDOE. She presented about the Role of the Teacher in regards to the Common Core Standards. She showed us one of those e-cards, and it was true for a lot of us. We are so OVERWHELMED with all of the things we need to do to be great teachers.

Tracey gave us a lot of great information regarding the CCSS and the PARCC assessments. Then we split up into groups based on our subject area and grade level. I went to the middle school group. It was great to get a grasp on the CCSS and how to implement them into the classroom setting. We had a nice lunch and a really moving lunch keynote. We sometimes forget that we do ACTUALLY matters. Check out the following speech from a then ten-year-old boy. It's SO good! 

After lunch we broke into our groups again. This time, we took a closer look at the actual standards. We gathered ideas and resources on how to implement them in the classroom. Overall, it was great. I am excited and can't wait to really try to dive in and teach these standards. 

Summer Professional Development #6- EdmodoCon 2013

Yesterday, Wednesday August 7, 2013 was EdmodoCon 2013. I was excited since it was my first EdmodoCon ever! I missed the keynote because I was at the gym but was able to catch the first mini session from the LeanIn company. She spoke about creating girls who want to take on leadership roles. We usually do not expect that of women and girls, because most of our country is run by men. Then I watched the first session about integrating the Common Core Standards into Edmodo. It was very interesting. Then I got a phone call for an interview, so I was unable to watch a lot of the afternoon sessions. I logged back in around 7:00pm and saw the last few sessions- Flattening the Classroom with Edmodo and Rethinking Collaboration in the 21st Century. Overall it was a great learning experience.

Summer Professional Development #5-Edcamp STEAM

On Wednesday, July 31, 2013 I attended Edcamp STEAM at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick. It was my 1st Edcamp experience and I LOVED IT!! I went with a childhood friend and now a colleague, Jessica. It was her first Edcamp also. We got interviewed by Classroom Closeup. Who knows, we may end up in an episode!!! =) The first hour or so was spent networking with fellow educators and setting up the session board. At Edcamps, the participants create the sessions. I decided I would host one. I chose the 4th time slot. I titled the session: "Tracking Evidence & STEAM-How do we effectively track this?" It was a good chance to meet other educators and have a great discussion on assessment and tracking evidence with all of the different curricula in our schools.

The first session we went to was about how to incorporate STEM/STEAM into the Elementary Classroom. It was good. We met a lot of teachers who teach at all girl private schools. It was interesting to see and learn about the different kind of programs there are to help introduce engineering to the elementary grades. The second session we went to was about creating a STEAMy Classroom Environment. Classroom management and classroom design is a HUGE passion of mine. It's hard as a new teacher to say what works and what doesn't because I haven't had a classroom of my own, yet. One day I will and the tips I heard will come in handy.

After lunch we went to one session about using New Media in the classroom. When it wasn't what we expected it to be, we left and went to a session about Flipping the Classroom. We learned a lot of different ways in which to do this. Then came my session. I LOVED IT! We had a really great discussion on portfolios and getting children involved in what is assessed and what is not. After that we went to see if we won anything. Jess got a copy of the Inspiration software. I didn't get anything, but we did network with some awesome educators. I think the best part of the day was getting a tweet from a principal of a school in Manville. He said it was great to meet us and he would be lucky to work with us one day. =)

Overall, it was a great experience. I can't wait for Edcamp Leadership on 8/12 and for Edcamp NJ on 11/23!

Summer Professional Development # 4- All Things Google Summer Camp

Yesterday I attended my 4th conference of the summer! I went to Stockton College for the All Things Google Summer Camp. The keynote speaker was really good. She spoke about getting students to think about the questions that GOOGLE cannot find the answers for. It was a lot of fun. Then I went to the first session-Creating An Assignment In-Box using Google Forms. I actually knew a lot of the information there, but it was a good review. I had never thought to ask students to share the URL link of their projects on Google Drive instead of sharing the actual document with the teacher. I also learned how to add on different "scripts"-the ability to have the spreadsheet graded or send a mail merge to all participants. My second session was about using QR Codes in the Classroom. That was a  fun session. We found a lot of resources to create QR codes. We started brainstorming ideas on how to use them in the classroom- like as a scavenger hunt or on worksheets for students to use. After lunch with some colleagues I met at TeachMeetNJ 2012, I went to my 3rd session-Using Google Forms to help Student Research. It is an easy way to collect information from anywhere in the world. Finally, my last session of the day was about cresting a Google Site for your classroom. I had always gotten confused in the past, but listening to the instructor, it was actually quite easy. 

                              Overall, it was a great day!

From the Keynote Speaker

In my 1st session

Eating Lunch

In my last session

Getting our PD Certs.