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New Year - New Resolutions- New Activities in the Classroom

10 Jan 2013 9:37 AM | Kat Akers
If you are like me it is hard to stick to New Year's resolutions. Whether it be a diet change, spending habits, or even just taking more time for yourself, it is hard to stick to the changes in your lives, big or small. 

This year we had a huge change in our school district beginning in January, we became a 7-12 1:1 school. This brought much excitement, joy, and fear to our staff. We now had to change to a newer way of teaching and classroom management. How were we going to make sure kids were doing what they were supposed to do on their computers? What happens when the internet is not working? Do I have to use them all of the time? These are just a few of the concerns brought up during our staff discussions during professional development.

Well, the day finally came when the students came in with their new laptops, there have there been some frustrations, joys, and especially new learning on our part as teachers. It has taken patience, extra work, and some creativity on my part to create lessons to keep the students occupied. I could always do activities at the drop of a hat to fill up those last five to ten minutes in a lesson, but now, I have been trying to create a new set of bell ringers and activities to involve all students through differentiation. It has been a few extra hours after school, assisting in some basic computer skills, and even some last minute decisions. 
I know this is the new wave of technology and advancement in education and I am quite excited about it. There are so many tools that a computer can give to the students that more options are available for their learning. I am no guru on everything technology, but I am learning with my students and this is exciting. I find myself rejuvenated for the semester. If you have any ideas or examples of how computers, technology, or other 2.0 tools are used in your classroom, please share them. Comment on this blog or even email me. 

I look forward to hearing from other 'veterans' on this topic. 

Kat Akers
kat.akers@centraldecatur.org
IWLA Vice President

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