Interactive Classroom

As a technology teacher, I come across a number of websites and apps to help teachers in the classroom.  Too often I use them once or twice then simply pass them along in a quick mass email to my co-workers.  This year I am trying something new.  I am picking one website or app to use in my classroom for 3 - 4 weeks then I will post my thoughts on my blog.

My first find is Socrative an interactive feedback site, but also a site to use to test your class.  Students can interact through a website or apps.  This FREE app shows student responses immediately or after a question has been answered by the entire group.  There are a number of  similar sites, I find this one to be the easiest to set up and use.

You can use it for immediate polls, multiple choice, true/false and short answers, exit polls and more.  You can enter in questions in advance or use it as you want to question your class.  Results show from your project if you want the students to see where they fall.  Entering questions in advance enables you to decide if students can answer and go at their own rate, or if you want to control the pace to show and discuss each question.  Your questions remain on line so you can edit and reuse as you need.  There is also a way to leave feedback or correct answers making this a useful review tool.

One of my favorite features is the reports.  Yes these reports are stored for later use.  You can go back and see which questions each student missed and what answer choice they made.  This feedback is priceless when reviewing to see what information may have been missed in your presentation of the materials.

Needing a quick review or short time filler?  Use the space race to have teams race to the correct answers.  Students in all subjects in all grades love to compete against each other to see whose the best.

Give it a try - students can use anything that connect to the internet.  The space race works even if students are sharing devices.

Why Teach

This year I am teaching Web Page Design and Fundamentals of Technology, I mix in programming because that is a passion of mine.  As I was helping one student work through editing an image for his webpage, he asked "You know how to do all this stuff, why don't you have a real job making big money?"  My response was an internal sigh, then a smile as I told him the truth.  I have a real job and more importantly I love my job.  Do I make the same money as I would if I went to work in corporate American, well of course not.  Would I get respectful nod of the head instead of the slight sneer when I told people what I do for a living, probably.  It made me think, why do people not see the value of the teacher?  

Teachers are not only college graduates, but required by law to keep adding professional development by attending classes annually.  A number of us have advanced degrees, we spend summers in workshops, days off in seminars, evenings listening to webcasts to keep current on the latest and greatest.  So we are smart people, so that can't be it.

Teachers have to be prepared for anything.  I mean ANYTHING, have you seen the news?  We have drills for fire, tornadoes, intruders, and active shooters.  We have students who come to us with fevers, stomach illness, diabetes, hearing or seeing impairments, learning disabilities, hungry bellies, full bellies,  We can start a day with a plan and suddenly have a change of schedule, due to any number of other things.  We have to quickly assess a number of situations and react quickly and more importantly correctly.  So we are dynamic thinkers, so that can't be it.

Teachers can't have a bad day.  Really?  Everyone has a bad day!  True, but teachers can't let that bad day effect their work.  Headache, just not feeling it are not part of your day.  There are 25 - 30 faces looking to you to encourage, show, share.  There is not an option for not giving your best every time, so that can't be it.

Teachers have a lot of time off.  This is a true statement, but that time off is NOT paid time off.  Somewhere along the way I thing the general public has decided that since we don't go to school June and July we are getting paid vacation.  This is simply not true.  We get paid for the 180 days we are required to go to school with or without students.  We do not get paid when we go to those week long summer institutes, or workshops.  Or at least the districts I have worked for do not pay you to attend, they do however usually pay the fees for the workshops.  Could this be it?

I just know the teachers I have had the pleasure of working with became teachers because they are passionate about the subject they teach and the students they get to see grow.  Teachers share knowledge and techniques they are using.  They are unselfish and not motivated by profit.  Teachers give up a lot to be teachers, money, respect, the ability to write whatever they want on Facebook (that is a post for another day).  Industry would be lucky to have a teacher working for them.  We show up on time, work hard before during and after hours, and we love our work.  

Think back, name the top 5 people who inspired you to be who you are today?  I bet there is a teacher in that list.