Becoming a Connected Educator

Over the past few weeks I have tried several  different ways to become a connected educator. I have found all the ways great, but my favorite was Edmodo. I used Edmodo to create a group for middle school math teachers to share their ideas and resources. I currently only have 7 members including me, but we are growing. Here is the join link if you are interested https://edmodo.com/public/middle-school-math/...

I cannot wait to see where this group goes and continue my journey of being a connected educator. 

Edmodo Verses Blogs

Which did I like better?  This is a tough answer. I like Blogs better for seeing ideas and ways to incorporate activities in the classroom. I like Edmodo better for making educator connections. My one post on Edmodo allowed me to personally connect with other educators and share ideas. Blogs are great for watching from a distance and getting ideas and Edmodo is awesome for having conversations with educators.

SimpleK12

As I continue of my journey of becoming an connected educator I explored SimpleK12.com. SimpleK12.com is a home of several prerecorded webinars and resources for teachers. I chose to view one of the Blended Learning Webinars since that is part of what I am currently learning about in my graduate class this week. I really loved the seminar and what I learned from the presenter, Catlin. 

Although I found SimpleK12 a great way to grow as an educator, I didn't feel it was the best way to be a connected educator. SimpleK12 stores so much great information and teachers can connect to educators all over the world. However although the teachers are connected the teachers have to make an effort to build relationships with each other and connect. I think SimpleK12 is an awesome tool for teachers to learn and implement new ideas, but so far Edmodo is my favorite way of becoming a connect educator. 

Edmodo

Today I explored Edmodo. I found instead of groups, you follow communities. Groups are private sections you set up to share information (could be teacher to teacher, teacher to students, district to teachers, etc). I started following the math community. I joined the community and then posted the following comment in hopes to connect with more math teachers and get ideas for the first week of school. 

"Are there any 6th grade math teachers following this page? If so, what is your favorite introduction activity for the first week of school? I am trying to find curriculum based getting to know you activities for the new school year that starts in 3 weeks for me. One of activity is Expression Bingo. Students create a Bingo board, then write expressions that represent numerical parts of their lives.  For example age, school size, number of sibblings, ect. They have to use all four operations at least twice. Here is an example I have 2+1 brothers. The next step is to find students that have the same number. For example my birthdate is 3x1. They both have an answer of three so they inital each other's block!"

I am excited to see what other teachers respond. I noticed the community was great for sharing donor's choose projects, ideas, ask questions, and connect. I really had fun scrolling through the post. I wish the community had small groups within it of grade levels or groups of grades (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). 

  

 

Welcome to the Blogger World...What I Learned Today

Today I learned so much about the blogger world. I found out Mondays for many teacher bloggers is "Made it Monday". Teachers share different things they made for their classroom or even their house. Made it Monday made my weekly to do list longer. This week's to do list now includes three projects I plan on doing: GermX Bathroom Passes, Log in Loops, and Tidy Tubs. 

As I followed the different link through Made it Monday, I noticed several bloggers had linkable badges on the side. The badges identified the bloggers' state, grade, subject, and more. I found fellow NC bloggers, 6th grade bloggers, and technology blogs to follow. 

It was somewhat overwhelming reading all these new blogs, but so exciting to make new connections. As I stated in my professional growth plan I would make a comment, pose a question, or answer a question on a blog. I made my comment here: http://caffeineandlessonplans.blogspot.com/p/blogs-by-grade.html

Also, as an extra I attended a professional development on the LMS Canvas. I am excited about connecting throughout my district and connecting my students through this platform. I can't wait to play around with it and learn more! 


One final statement: just wanted to share a view from my weekend (as I learn to apply all the features Blogger allows me to do). My husband, another couple, and I camped at Cape Lookout Lighthouse. 

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Laura Baker. I started this blog in 2012 and never made a post. Three years later I reactivated this blog for my one of my graduate school courses. 

I teach 6th grade math and I will be starting my 5th year teaching. I am excited about this school year because I will have two of my nephews. 

I married my best friend in 2011. We both have large families so our wedding parry consisted of 22 people! I have 3 brothers, 3 brother-in-laws, and 3 sister-in-laws. My husband and I do not have any children but we have 8 nieces and nephews and one niece or nephew on the way. 

The purpose of this blog is to share what I find as I begin my journey of becoming a connected educator. I will share what I find and where I find it. I am excited to see where this blog takes me!!