What is an idea you have had that you have wanted to try but haven't?
While much of the object-based historical inquiry ideas can be done with images of objects, I would really like to try using physical objects. This is somewhat easier in American history, as vintage ephemera can be fairly easily acquired through vintage shops and eBay, but it's rare to stumble across Sumerian clay tablets or medieval toolkits here in the States. However, I considered and did find several sources that have 3D printable objects that could be used in historical inquiry. Knowing that we have that technology available, I'm considering how to integrate 3D printing into my historical inquiries and what objects I could use.

I chose this particular book study because I like the idea of creating my own curriculum and moving away from the standard textbook.  Teaching with at textbook seems similar to teaching to the test, and both are a cookie cutter approach to education.  I also picked this book because I want to move in a more digital direction in my classroom.  I am hesitant to move away from paper, but want the creativity and flexibility the digital world can provide. 

How will this PD inform your instruction and impact your students in the future?
If I am constantly learning and implementing new ideas, my students will see that I am trying to grow, and will hopefully be willing to do the same.  Also, English classes tend to gravitate towards the essay, but in the real world, there are so many other types of writing.  I hope to implement more creative and accessible types of writing for my students.  For example, I have had the students blog, but this year I want them to make connections with other classes so they know their audience is more than just their teacher.  

List benefits & challenges of doing PD this way (LNC Choice). What changes would you make?
I really like the flexibility of doing PD this way.  I can do it on my own time and focus on a subject that interests me most.  I like the collaboration of the Twitter Chat because it allows me to connect with other teachers at LNC and even go to them for help!  I also like that I can do more than one option if I have time and if I need to for renewal credits.  

-Currently, I’m in my last content course for a MA in US History, so I figured I would use it as an opportunity to connect it to the classroom. Since it’s a history degree, I use all of the historical thinking skills that I teach the juniors on a daily basis in my coursework, and the opportunities to bring in new connections, interpretations, and content to my classes are everywhere. This course is in Early Modern European history, which has less direct content but a ton of contextualization for the early American era. 

 

-The value of context to the narrative of early American history. Throughout the first month of the course, the content has been centered on the English Reformation. I don’t typically have too much time to go into the Reformation other than as a movement of causation. However, having read two books and written two papers on the Reformation (and specifically how it connects to Puritan New England), I’ve been exposed to a lot more primary and secondary sources that inform topics that I present to the kids in US I. In this case, increased background knowledge on the Reformation has helped inform me to the greater picture of the colonial era. 

 

 

-This PD has created an opportunity for vertical integration of the Social Studies curriculum. Specifically, this week I used the juniors’ understanding of the Protestant Reformation from ninth grade to connect to religious toleration in the American colonies. We talked about the religious drama of the English monarchies (Catholicism / Protestantism) of the 16^th century (Henry VIII, Mary, Elizabeth, etc.) and I connected it to the formation of Maryland as the earliest colony in North America with religious tolerance. This is a really interesting historical conversation and one that I probably would not have taken a risk going into without the grad class. Their existing knowledge, combined with newer perspectives of early modern European history, really helped substantiate the new content we are working in now. 

I chose to do a book study because I liked having the freedom to read the text when it worked with my schedule, and I thought that "Ditch That Textbook" could offer some innovative ways to teach my content area that I haven't utilized in the past.  I have been teaching Chemistry for close to a decade, and in my experience it can be really tough to find resources online or through my PLN's that offer more flexibility and creativity than the conventional labs, worksheets, and notes.  (It is actually sort of comical how so many chemistry teachers will refer to a simple paper worksheet as "an activity" for their students!).

-What opportunities do you see for yourself/your classroom in this PD?
My hope is that "Ditch That Textbook" will offer up some interesting new ways to teach content that I have not previously used, and that these techniques will increase engagement for my students.  I want my students to be able to incorporate their own talents, skills and interests into the activities that we complete in class.  I want my students to feel like they all have something positive to contribute to our classroom environment, even if they are not particularly math-minded.

-List benefits & challenges of doing PD this way (LNC Choice). What changes would you make?
It is great to be able to work on my book study when it fits in with my schedule, and I also appreciate really having the free time to complete other school-related work after I have finished my PD.  (Teachers do not get enough of this!)  A potential challenge for staff is maintaining the discipline to complete PD during this free time, even when other aspects of our lives are needing attention. :)

I chose this option because I am an avid Mac addict. I use my personal MacBook everyday in class and recently came from a Mac school, so I wanted to take my skills to the next level and I thought becoming an Apple Teacher would encourage me to do so. In addition, I am not as comfortable on the ipads and wanted ideas and skills to better utilize the ipad cart in my classroom to get my Mac fix.

As mentioned, I came from a school where all of the students used MacBooks, so I struggle with the capabilities of the PC and find that I am restricted from a lot of the activities I would like to do, especially in my journalism class.  Because I am less familiar with the ipads and their capabilities, I thought this PD would allow me to learn more about utilizing the ipads since there is a cart available to all teachers and my students are more familiar with the ipads. I wanted to capitalize on the collaboration and user-friendly programs the ipad uses to create multi-platform projects with my students, ensuring 21st century learning.

I appreciate and love this version of a PD. Not only does it allow me flexibility in my PD days (bonus with small children), but it enables me to take classes to focus on areas I want to grow in. Many times PD days are repetitive information, does not provide enough time to apply the skills, and hard to cater to multiple subjects. This allows us the independence and professional growth necessary to develop our strengths and weaknesses.

-What has surprised you so far with your chosen PD module? I was very surprised how specific the quizzes were for this PD. I am not completely through all of the module yet but felt like I needed to take a break and process all the information and actually experiment with the apps.
-List benefits & challenges of doing PD this way (LNC Choice). What changes would you make?  I really like the fact that we had options. At my previous school the PD was not beneficial and I had a hard time translating it to my subject. I also enjoyed that we could complete this where we would like. I knew I would have a hard time staying focused at home so I chose to work at a different location.

I chose this book because the most important thing in my class is my students. My goal is to create a safe, yet engaging learning environment for each student.  I am interested in learning about them, believing in them, and teaching them beyond the subject matter.

This book really confirms my beliefs about the importance of relationships. The investments that we, as teachers, can make in their lives can be very impactful.
What are some things you are already successfully implementing in your classroom as a result of this PD
I am definitely making more of an attempt to contact parents/students with positive messages. It is important that my students know the impact that they are making on me and the value that each individual has. 

 

I chose the flipped classroom module because it’s a concept I have always been interested in, and I wanted to understand its foundational ideas.  I think that because LNC students all have access to technology in the form of lap tops and internet, there are lots of opportunities to flip some or even many of my lessons, especially in AP Lang.

 
How will this PD inform your instruction and impact your students in the future?

 

After three years of teaching AP Lang, I feel like I am finally getting a handle on which content works best for both the exam and for students’ long-term writing education. Since A.P. students are very independent, motivated, and intelligent, I am now thinking about what they could learn independently and what I still need to help them with in person.  To this end, the flipped classroom environment will give me more options to maximize class time and at-home time.  In concrete terms, I already have some good ideas on how to re-vamp my summer reading project, including adding video tutorials.  

 

-How does this PD promote Digital Learning Competencies?

Flipped classrooms, from what I have seen so far, rely on access to technology and digital citizenship.  I tend to be an ‘in-person’ kind of teacher; I like to interact directly with my students, but this PD requires me to consider how I might develop my presence online for my students, and how they might interact with me on Youtube or another video platform. It is also forcing me to think about project-based assignments which will likely have a digital component.  How can I incorporate a true, digital project-based learning assignment into that class?

I am continuing to attempt to fully implement a flipped classroom and trying to find new ways to make my in class instruction more student centered as opposed to teacher centered.  Because we are a one-to-one school, it made sense that technology would need to play some role in this transition both in and out of the classroom. 

Through this PD, I was able to learn some strategies to both select and post evaluate the digital and technological resources that I may and will use in class.  It has provided a couple of frameworks/rubrics that will provided me with a better measure of effectiveness as a result of a tools integration or removal form my instruction.  

As a math teacher, it is assumed that I will utilize tools like calculators or graphing utilities within my classroom; however, many of us just use this form of technology within the classroom to simply perform basic calculations or viewing functions (maybe finding intercepts or extrema).  I have been able to collect and create some activities that utilize the calculator for more exploratory means.  I also am better at redirecting students to the use of this tools when they ask questions like "How does this change that?"� or "What if instead of _ the equation was _?"� so that the information is a little more meaningful to them as opposed to me simply giving them the answers. 

As an educator who spent half her career in the 20th century, I want to compare, contrast and incorporate as many "21st century" strategies and approaches to learning as possible into my classroom. After all, my audience is only FROM this century. I need to continue to stay current with the world my students know and are comfortable learning in.

How will this PD inform your instruction and impact your students in the future?

By bringing me "up to speed"- familiarizing me with the digital and mobile technologies that are not second nature to me , but are to my students. This will keep me connected with the world through their eyes and allow me to adapt my instruction accordingly.
List benefits & challenges of doing PD this way (LNC Choice). What changes would you make?

I think this is an great way to allow teachers the flexibility to work on professional development at their own pace, with content they are truly interested in. One change might be to open up the options to include webinars and PD from other sources.

-What has surprised you so far with your chosen PD module?
There are SO many ways that you can allow your students to collaborate with the Mac programs. Several of these programs not only allow for students to collaborate, but also implement 21st-century learning skills. 

-How will this PD inform your instruction and impact your students in the future?
I am hoping to use some of these features in the future to diversify my classroom activities. I found some of the ideas interesting that were presented in the modules for student collaboration using quicktime video, Photobooth, etc. 

-What has surprised you so far with your chosen PD module?
I was surprised after watching the first webinar that the presenter was very interesting.  I took several of the real life examples and plan to use them directly in my classes.   I learned that designing a Flipped Classroom needs these  3 Stages:

Here is an example of how I could use this for my small group Study Skills class to review Math 1 Content:

Step 1:In small groups of 2-3, assign a math example similar to one they practiced in class. Let the students try to work together to figure out the answer.  Encourage them to explain their thought process on how they would solve it.
Step 2: Post a video of myself completing the problem via  YouTube Channel so students can view at their own time/pace.
Step 3: Prepare a mix of student based review activities such as Kahoot races, Schoology, Quizziz, Quizlet and GimKit. 

New tools that I learned about:
Camtasia, Free Castomatic,

Other good takeaways: 

Q1: Why did you choose the PD module you chose? 

A1:  I selected the apple PD because I have a mac functioning home.  At school however in my classroom I mainly utilize a PC.  I wanted to improve my mac skills. Additionally, I aim to learn of new ways to incorporate the effective use of apple devices and tools in my classroom to enhance my instruction.  

 

Q2:  What opportunities do you see for yourself/your classroom in this PD? 

A2:  I will incorporate more creative lessons utilizing the learned skills from this PD within my classroom.  I would also like to improve my mac literacy.  I would like to incorporate iMovie to my oceanography class within the overexploitation unit.  I am working to finish the final draft of my biology manuscript.  I would like to learn ways to use computerized imagery to construct visual explanations of biological processes which are important for students understanding. 

 

Q3: How will this PD inform your instruction and impact your students in the future?  When it comes to technology I often find my students being the teacher.  I would like to improve my mac and tech literacy so that I can aid my students when we encounter challenges.  

I searched all the possible choices. The Capella Project Based Learning module piqued my interest. As a student, I enjoyed projects. During my first 10 years of teaching, project were not an option. With the pressure from Judge Manning on EOC scores most of my teaching was geared to making sure the students performed well on a test. Since the state removed the EOC requirement for US History, I now have time to focus on different ways of teaching. The module offers theory and discusses the differences between problem-based learning and project based learning. I hope that it will offer some good ideas on how to implement and different projects that may be worthwhile for American History and Contemporary Issues. I am only 1/3 of the way, it is mostly informative, and why it is a good learning strategy. 

Q2: what has surprised you so far with your chosen PD module?

I am surprised that I know some of the answers without having to read the content. It is question and answer driven. If you cannot answer the question correctly, you are given information to help you answer the question. You are also given three tries to answer the question correctly. It is also going to take me longer than I anticipated. May be I should have signed up to do the Apple training. ;) 

 

Q2: What has surprised you so far with your chosen PD module?
That there are apps I have very little knowledge about that others in the building incorporate regularly into the curriculum/classrooms.

Q3:  What opportunities do you see for yourself/your classroom in this PD? 
Collaboration and understanding seem to be the biggest opportunities that I see thus far. The ability to collaborate with others in the building as well as students. Understanding what our teachers and students are working on. Will help with the ability to relate in the counseling relationship. 

 

To make this PD better in terms of meeting my needs as a professional, I am challenging myself to expand into a new area of social media.  I recently created a personal Instagram account but would like to make an educational/school account and link my students.  I would love to get their insight on our class, educational challenges they face and/or any group discussion they may want to have outside of our traditional 7:45am-2:45pm school day.  I would also consider learning how to use twitter, so students could re-tweet posts that are important to them.  If social media is the best way to reach our students, then I need to teach myself to be more involved.  

The part of the PD which had real meaning to me was the idea of teaching our students to be “social media consultants rather than consumers”.  Most of our social media involvement is re-tweeting, or liking, or sharing other’s thoughts instead of voicing our own opinion.  Our students read and consume what they are presented without challenging the authenticity of the information or expressing their opinion on the subject.  Just because someone makes a statement on social media, does not mean it is correct or worth our time.  Students need to be picky with what they give their time to on social media, challenge their fellow classmates to do the same and share their original thoughts and passions with the world.  Our students need to make their voices be heard!     

Part of the reason I chose this PD was to find modules that specifically align with Digital Learning Competencies.