So this happened today. I picked up the key to my new classroom. Walking in I felt this sense of belonging and excitement to make it mine. It will be interesting to see what I can do to this traditional looking classroom.
My mind is reeling of grant ideas on how to update the seating in this classroom. As you can see the desks are attached to the chairs. It doesn’t assist with the ease of movement but I have seen ways teachers make it work.
The first thing that is going are the rows of desks. I will most likely group them in 4s to start. The teacher who left the room did leave a couple interesting tables in the room that I think I can DIY for a standing table and a collaboration space.
What is my vision?
Unlimited. I want to see a space that will meet the needs of all of my students based on how they feel when they walk in the room. I envision a few standing desks/tables with a few chairs/stools; a couple lower tables with chairs; a few individual student desks; and maybe a campfire table with comfortable chairs around it. The room does have 5 whiteboards so I can build collaboration spaces around the boards. I would even LOVE to have a few FitDesks to allow movement even when students have to sit.
Can I make my vision come to fruition?
I hope so. This is where you come in… If you have disposable cash to fund a project like this let’s talk. If you have funding sources or grants you know of PLEASE share. I am not afraid to ask/beg for funding.
This is the first steps in this journey. I hope you come along with me.
I want to wish all of the Step Mothers a happy day today. When I met my husband and found out he had a daughter I thought ok this is fine. It will be great. What I learned is being a step mom is the hardest job in the world. How do I work through the “Who is this lady? Why is she hanging out with us? Who does she think she is? I don’t have to like her. I don’t have to listen to her. She’s not my mom.”? And this is what I dealt with through the communication skills of a 4 year old.
I never want to replace her mother. I only want to be a support and a rock for her. I want to teach her how to be independent, confident, to love herself and life.
Today, she is a couple weeks from 9 years old and we have come a long way in 5 years. We craft, bake, can, visit museums, go on adventures, watch movies, read books, and laugh together. She has a big heart and today she showed just how big her heart is. This morning I was greeted with a handmade duct tape purse, a pocket whiteboard, and a poem that made me cry.
Let me share her words with you…
Cookies, cake, and chocolate
Are sweet
Kisses to you
Emazing friend
You, are a treat
On the menu of life
Living it well
Owesome parent
Lending a hand
Only you understand
Veins are filled with peace
Enter the love
Better than treasure
Everything is great
Sun shines on you
Together forever
Cookies,
Cake, and
Chocolate
Are Sweet
Her words for me – CAKE, YOLO, LOVE, BEST. I love her more than she will ever know.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this word. Where does it come from? What inspires us? How can you use it? What defines creativity? What do we learn in the process of creating?
cre·a·tiv·i·ty – krēāˈtivədē/ noun: creativity – the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. (Google)
This past week creativity has been all around me. First, my step daughter is at the age she is exploring things online, living and breathing Minecraft and just very creative in general. She and her dad have decided to do a podcast called Ella’s Entry. The first episode is possibly the cutest thing I have ever heard. I am not biased or anything but I think it is. The podcast came out of her dad listening to podcasts with her in the car and a curiosity of how podcasts are made and why people listen to them.
On Friday night, I was packaging some things I sold on ebay and when I finished I had this overwhelming urge to make something. This year, I want to take my crafting to another level. I want to start creating rubber stamps and I have played around a little but I’m not a professional by any means. So I pulled out some sheets of rubber and started looking around on Pinterest to see what I could find about carving or something that would inspire me. I decided to carve a branch and a flower on a vine.
As I finished carving, I started looking at what the stamp looks when used with ink.
They were not bad but I could definitely see where I could improve. What struck me was as I looked at the inked images I began to think about what I learned in carving the stamps. I tried numerous blades. I moved the blades in different directions. I noticed imperfections in my stamps. The leaves weren’t completely smooth. I even cut parts out I wasn’t supposed to cut.
This is where my creativity really started to kick in. My imperfections did not deter me from continuing. They actually threw me in to a plan of action and excitement about my next steps to improve. Maybe they are not steps but more like guidelines.
Any design is ok.
The more I design and carve the better.
Always draw the design bigger to allow for carving in smaller spaces on the rubber.
Try carving ANYTHING. No theme needed.
I also set two goals:
I want to be able to carve script
I need to carve weekly
All of this came from being inspired to pick up the carving tools when I was sitting in the craft room.
Today, my family and I were walking downtown on a photo walk. It’s one of our “family things” since my step daughter has taken an interest in photography. I find when I am on the photo walks, I deliberately try to see things in a creative way. When we walk around we talk about different ways we can take a photo to show different things. Before we started doing this, I really didn’t think about how creativity wasn’t just something inside you. Creativity can be deliberate. Creativity can be about perspective and lenses (literal or figurative).
So what do you say to people who claim, they don’t have a creative bone in themselves? I think it is awareness and listening to your inner voice. It’s the learned ability to look at things differently. That takes practice. It’s the willingness to try something different.
As I begin thinking of things I want to do in my classroom next year, I turned towards audio and video. I want my class to be heavily intertwined with projects. One of the issues I repeatedly see in classrooms is poor sound quality on student videos. What could I do to help with narration or voice overs in student projects? I did a little research on this and I found a DIY $20 solution. I made my own sound booth from an 18 gallon tub, a twin size “egg crate” mattress pad, and spray adhesive.
Now that I have the booth made it’s time to test it. I have a SnowBall microphone for the booth. My students will have Chromebooks to record their audio. The great thing about the Chromebook is you can connect USB microphones and they work great. If you do not have external microphones to use, you could simply place the Chromebook in the booth to record using the default microphone.
There are a number of apps available to record and edit audio on the Chromebook. For this test I used AudioRecorder. It is a simple app to record and save audio as a wav file. This app also works offline. So here are the test audio files.
I believe there is just enough of a difference for the audio to sound clear and full. If you are interested in taking about 15 minutes to create a DIY sound booth for your classroom, here is the video tutorial I used to make mine.
The only thing I didn’t like the tutorial is I did not cut the hole in the bottom to set the microphone in. with the SnowBall mic there was enough stability that I didn’t feel I needed the hole.
So if you try this, I want to hear from you. Comment below with your experiences. Also, if you use Chromebooks, what apps are you using for audio recording and editing?
Have you ever taken a different look at the town you live in? My family loves to go on small adventures and today we decided to do take an adventure not far from our home… in our city of Columbia, SC. We were able to experience a carnival atmosphere, take a step back in history, and take in the arts.
The day started on a sidewalk in the Rosewood area of town. It was time for the annual #MardiGrasSC parade. This is a great parade with such fun and energy. Mardi Gras is an growing event in Columbia. My family loves to watch every year. The parade is great because anyone can be a part of it. Just show up! My favorite part is probably the drum line. It’s a great family event. The parade participants throw a ton of beads and candy for the kids (and adults alike). People dress up in great costumes and for a brief moment you feel slightly transported to New Orleans. This was the 4th year of the parade and it was the largest to date. After the parade you can join an all day celebration of Mardi Gras at City Roots, an in-town sustainable farm. We are such fans we are going to participant with our own Krewe next year.
Here is a little taste of the Benedict Drum Line that preformed today.
After the parade, we decided to take a step back in history by taking a gorgeous stroll across the Gervias St. bridge. Over the last month Columbia has been celebrating the Burning of Columbia by General Sherman during the Civil War. The “celebration” continued today with the Battle of Columbia. At 12:00 the city was under siege by union troops on the banks of the Congaree River. We watched the battle begin as the cannons were fired from the west and the Confederates used shotguns to fire back from the east banks. There are still a number of events this month to continue the celebration.
I used to teach history and visited a number of American Revolution and Civil War reenactments but I don’t think I have ever been as close to the cannons while they were being fired as I was today. My entire body felt the cannon blast. I have no idea how the reenacters can stand it. I was not prepared with earplugs and my fingers stuck in my ears was not the best protection. It makes me think about how many actual soldiers that made it home from the war could hear.
The final destination for the day was an infusion of the arts at the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA). It was a Valentine’s Family Day. CMA has the BEST events for families and adult nights. The family day included multiple stations to create valentine’s day cards, heart necklaces, secret message cards, create your own gallery, fingerprint art, and selfie booth. CMA also created a great scavenger hunt in the art galleries for kids and parents.
The programing at the Columbia Museum of Art just keeps getting better. My favorite event they hold is Arts and Draughts. It’s a monthly night out with art, music, and local brews.
The best part of the day was when the 8 year old says, “Today was a really great day.” Today we were able to enjoy multiple facets of the city and it was all FREE. So get out there and become a tourist in your own city. You might be surprised by what you find.
The secret is out. In case you haven’t heard, you may want to sit down. Ready? I have decided to go back to the classroom in August. Gasp! “What?” “Are you sure?” Yes, I am sure. It’s something that has been tapping me on the shoulder for over a year. It’s time. I have been out of the classroom for about 8 years. Throughout that time I have enjoyed school level technology integration jobs, district level technology education jobs, consulting, and traveling more than I ever thought possible having a career in education. Alas, it’s time.
I thought I would take a few minutes to share with you the why. Some people have said to me, “Why would you want to give up a district level position?” Really? For me, it’s not about the district level position. It’s about the impact I feel I am making. So let me go through my list in no particular order.
1. Passion. I feel like I am not making a difference. I go to work everyday and help create ideas for teachers to try. But what difference does it make? Last year I watched Taylor Mali’s poetry slam “What teachers make?” and it reminded me of the feelings I had and I loved being a teacher.
His honesty and passion about students makes me cry, my heart beats fast, and gives me goose bumps every time I see the video.
2. Vision. Everyday “we” (as in everyone I know worldwide in educational technology) talk about what we want to see in our classrooms. A lot of times what we want to see and what we see don’t match up. I have a skill set that is being wasted. By wasted, I mean, I have been afforded a lot of additional educational training due to the jobs I have held in the last 8 years I do not routinely practice. Let me go back to the classroom and see what I can do. Can I make the vision come to fruition?
3. DENSI. Last summer I spend a week at Discovery Education Network’s Summer Institute (DENSI) with 150 other educators. It had been years since I last attended and I was a little nervous about it. I was skeptical at first thinking, “What can I learn from this group?” What I took away was an amazing love of teaching and willingness to try for the sake of learning and loving students. So many people made an impact on me that week. They hold a special place in my heart for helping me find my way back to my passion of teaching.
4. Validity. I provide professional development giving teachers ideas of how they can use technology with their content. Yet, I never get to actually try any of the ideas. My voice has no validity. I know you may say that is not true but from where I am standing today, that is my lens. I want to be able to share ideas from classroom happenings. I want to share in the frustration students go through when they are being pushed a little harder to get the best out of them. I want to share technology integration ideas with teachers and be able to say what worked and what didn’t.
5. My family. I want to be home more. Summers are hard on our household. Monday through Thursday are long work days and we barely get to see each other. Summer camps don’t last as long as we need. The sun stays shining long in to the night. It still isn’t up long enough to get everything in and quality time spent.
6. Pride. I know pride can be seen as a bad thing but I used to be proud to say, “I am a teacher.” I didn’t have to explain anything. Now when I asked what I do, it ends in a 5 minute explanation and the person usually confusing what I do with I.T. No, I don’t fix or build anything that has to do with the physical computer.
7. Community and connection. Nothing can replace the community and connection you build with students and a school. I have the privilege to still remain in contact with students I taught 15 years ago. I care about them and am proud when they succeed. I want that connection with students again.
So what I am I doing to prepare? One thing I am doing is attending as much professional development as I can surrounding curriculum and the art of teaching. Last week I attended an AP Human Geography workshop on global migration conducted by the University of South Carolina – Center of Excellence for Geographic Education. It was an amazing day of learning. My brain was afloat from all of the wonderful information that was given. I am also taking a couple of days off in March to head to the 70th annual ASCD Conference. I attended this conference last year for the first time and Dr. Russell J. Quaglia’s (http://www.qisa.org/) keynote on student voice was the most inspiring session for me. His keynote was just the kick in the ass I needed to think about student voice and what I was doing to increase the volume about student voice. I am very excited to see what inspiration comes from the conference for me this year.
Another thing I am doing is a little old school but I am keeping a journal of what I want to do as a teacher. I am filling the notebook with ideas, tips, professional development notes, etc. It’s my little offline learning place. I am surprised how much I have all ready put in the notebook. I think this helps me realize my decision is the right one.
Do I know where or what yet? No, I do not know where I will be teaching or what subject within the realm of Social Studies I will be teaching but I know I will end up where I need to be. When I started teaching I wondered if it was a calling or a career. I think I’ve always know I was called to be a teacher.
I have LOVED the opportunities I have been given being on the edge of the technology education field. It’s just time to get back to doing this work WITH students. I can’t wait for what will be in store for me come August.
Here’s a scenario. It’s early August, a high school teacher is preparing her classroom for the new year. She is a new teacher and wants to incorporate the latest educational practices in her classroom.
I am wondering in the age of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking (4Cs); the maker movement; Project Based Learning; Passion Based Learning; Design Thinking; 1:1 implementations; what supplies does a high school teacher need to be successful? Once a teacher compiles this list, what is the best way to go about getting all of those supplies? I am not just talking about posters on the wall. I am talking about real everyday supplies like post it notes, chart paper, etc.??
Please leave a comment below or add your suggestions of a supply list for this classroom here.
I’ve had blogs for years but this year I decided to mashup all of my individual blogs in to one. My stats aren’t stellar but they are showing some progress. The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 23 trips to carry that many people.
Last week I announcement resliced by Jordan’s Handmade for the Holidays Blog Hop. Today is my day! I’m so excited to share with you my favorite handmade tutorial as well as some of my favorite handmade businesses. If you are in the Columbia area, I give you a couple local events you can attend to purchase handmade gifts this holiday season.
I have spent a lot of time in the craft room lately, preparing for the holidays. Today, I would like to share with you an easy wreath you can create for your home or a gift for someone this holiday season.
What do you need?
A foam wreath 8″, 10″, or 12″
12″X12″ Designer Paper about 4 sheets cut in to 1 1/2″ strips
A glue gun
24″ Ribbon to match the paper
A bow or other accent piece that matches
Scissors
This tutorial is from Chic’n Scratch and it was created at Halloween. I used this tutorial to create holiday wreaths.
I loved making this wreath and made a couple of them. I overlapped my paper a little more than the video showed and I also used a hot glue gun to adhere my paper on the wreath. This allowed the wreath to be stronger than if I just used a craft adhesive.
12″ and 8″ wreaths
Handmade Businesses I Love
HazRat
jellykoe – is an independent toy company based out of Columbia, SC. It is owned and operated by Kelly and J. Spencer Shull. jellykoe specializes in handmade designer plush and custom vinyl, resin, and hand sculpted action figures. In addition to their toy lines, jellykoe also offers original artwork and illustration. Online Shop, Facebook
I absolutely LOVE their plush designs!
Surcee
Surcee Jewelry – This is a new addition of a handmade business that I love. I found out a past student of mine is creating jewelry. She resides in Charleston, SC. All pieces are hand-crafted and made with quality materials. We love to use beautiful gemstones and beads and are always looking for unique charms and pendants. The pieces are beautiful and one of a kind. Online Shop, Facebook
Summer Days
Grapes and Gallery – This might be a little off the beaten trail for a “handmade business” but Grapes and Gallery is a local shop where you can “explore your inner artist” and create your very own painting. You can paint with an artist guiding you on a specific painting or you can “do your own thing” by painting what you want on Saturday mornings.
Are you in Columbia, SC and want to see some great handmade items in person? Here are a couple of events I love!
Soda City – This market is every Saturday from 9:00-1:00. It’s open year round so you never have to be without something to do on Saturday morning. The vendors vary from local farmers to handmade items, baked goods to vintage fashion.
If you can’t make it to Soda City on Saturdays, stop in to Nest Monday through Friday. Nest is Soda City’s artisan store front on Main Street.
December 14
Crafty Feast – is a 100% handmade, juried, independent craft fair in Columbia, SC. Their goal is to bring unique and funky crafts from around the region in a 1 day festival format. This is my favorite craft fair of the year. I’m usually a vendor at this event but decided to take this year off to be a customer. This year Crafty Feast is December 14 from 12-6pm at the Columbia Convention Center. Admission is only $2!
Don’t forget to check out my fellow bloggers who will be sharing more crafty gift ideas with you this week:
Continue to support handmade businesses by following Columbia’s Etsy Market Team on Facebook where you’ll stay in the loop with upcoming events and all things crafty in Columbia.
With the holidays here, I will be spending some time working on my crafts. Next week I’ll be joining 5 crafty bloggers to participate in a Handmade for the Holidays Blog Hop hosted by resliced by Jordan!
The series will start on Monday, December 1 and run through next Friday, December 5, 2014.
Here’s how it will work:
Each day one blogger will share with you links to some of her favorite handmade gift tutorials. In addition, we’ll also share with you some handmade shops we’re looking forward to supporting (hello, gift ideas!) and some local craft fairs and other events where you can support local artisans this season.
Jordan is a full-time data nerd with a fierce passion for making things by hand. She owns a small handmade business called resliced where she focuses on upcycling to create one-of-a-kind jewelry and purses. Read more about Jordan here.
Jordan’s favorite crafts include: sewing (mostly bags & occasionally garments), jewelry making, calligraphy and just about anything else!
MaryAnn spends her days training teachers to better utilize technology in the classroom. To escape the Monday-Friday grind, MaryAnn makes cards and other paper goods for her handmade business, M.A.S.W. Designs. Read more about MaryAnn here.
MaryAnn’s favorite crafts include: Anything paper – cards, treat bags, banners, etc; Sewing; Baking- cookies, cakes, or any sweets.
Rachel spends her days chasing children around the classroom as an elementary teacher and her evenings chasing her adorable toddler around (and she’s got another little one on the way!). From making you a custom t-shirt quilt to sewing up some seriously impressive clothing – you name it, Rachel can sew it! Read more about Rachel here.
Rachel’s favorite crafts include: sewing garments (womens & girls), home decor sewing, and quilting – anything with fabric and thread! Rachel also enjoys photography and cooking.
From a wedding dress to a 20 foot boat cover, Addie has been there and sewed that! Addie has been sewing for more than 20 years and has spent the last half of those teaching others to sew – at The Art Institute of Charlotte, at Midlands Technical College starting in the spring, and she’s even available for private lessons! In addition, Addie is also a talented pattern designer. Read more about Addie here.
Addie’s favorite crafts include: sewing clothing, quilting, embroidery, kid-friendly crafts and upcycling / finding creative ways to reuse things.
Shanika loves to craft so much that she founded Gather & Craft as a way to encourage members of the community to come together and create (gather and craft). Recently, Shanika started offering her handmade goods to the public through her new shop, Sebastian Harper. Read more about Shanika here.
Emily is a former art teacher turned vintage fashion expert {browse her shop on Etsy}. In addition to stocking my closet full of vintage clothes, Emily is also a graphic designer with Sandra Mack Studio. Read more about Emily here.
Emily’s favorite crafts include: painting, repurposing, minimal sewing, paper crafts, garlands and anything that incorporates vintage material.
I hope you’ll “hop” around and support the other bloggers participating – subscribe to their blogs, like their Facebook pages and share the love with these gals!
Continue to support handmade businesses by following Columbia’s Etsy Market Team on Facebook where you’ll stay in the loop with upcoming events and all things crafty in Columbia.
So this happened today. I picked up the key to my new classroom. Walking in I felt this sense of belonging and excitement to make it mine. It will be interesting to see what I can do to this traditional looking classroom.
Columbia
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I have spent a lot of time in the craft room lately, preparing for the holidays. Today, I would like to share with you an easy wreath you can create for your home or a gift for someone this holiday season.
Life is a Maker Faire 