August 30

EdTech Everywhere!

I got the immense pleasure of unpacking, charging, and making sure that some of our brand new EdTech is ready to rollout on day 1. This year we were fortunate enough to get our own Spheros, Ozobots, WeDos, and EV3s! We will still be fortunate enough to have access to VR technology thanks to my amazing wife allowing me self fund this amazing tech! Can’t wait until Tuesday!

August 29

New Year!

Students start back on Tuesday, September 3, 2019! What an exciting year this going to be with our primary focus being on STEM this year! I cannot wait to dive into the Design Thinking Process with 5th grade and see what type of solutions are created for real world problems! This may be my 8th year in the classroom but this is going to be the best year yet!

June 11

Last Day!

Tomorrow, June 12th marks our last day of the ’18-’19 school year. This year has been a wild ride delving further into the world of educational technology. A journey that started during the ’17-’18 school year with the implementation of this blog has spawned into a world of incorporating Lego EV3 coding robots, Spheros, and VR/AR into daily routines. Next year I get to take the next step and specialize in Science/STEM for 3 different groups of 5th graders. This summer I want to make sure that blogging doesn’t fall to the wayside kind of like it did this year and make sure that I equally incorporate all facets of educational technology equally to make sure our kiddos at Eastern have the best opportunity for success! I am so excited to narrow my scope by specializing content and at the same time broadening my practice by incorporating more wonderful tools that will allow us to share our work and connect us authentically to a global audience! Stay Tuned for a wild and wonderful ride!

March 13

Project Everest

After taking a VR trip to Everest, we read about the dangerous route that has to be taken to reach the summit. We then watched a video detailing the Rockstars that are the Sherpas in order to select the proper rescue vehicle for an injured climber. After brainstorming, a block code was determined, tested and refined until all the climbers were home safely! We then watched video of our experiments and refined it for a more efficient trial! One of the days that truly makes me love my career!

February 28

This year so far…

This year so far has been so interesting! As a class we have had our ups and our downs but the potential that walks into this classroom everyday is amazing. The work that we have produced has garnered international recognition by way of students being showcased by the 100 Word Challenge, I have enjoyed being showcased by Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) as well as being nominated for Outstanding Educator with the Use of Technology again for MSET. Risk tasking, stepping outside of our comfort zones and pushing ourselves is paramount for any growth. This year I have presented in front of educators from all over central Pennsylvania and in May I will be stepping in front of educators from all over Maryland to speak about how technology has benefited the growth of our students! I remain just as excited about the rest of the year as I was when it started, I cannot wait to see what the future will bring.

February 14

101 Days down!

Fifth grade is more than half way over! I cannot believe all the work that we have done and still have to do. Remember when you post on your blog you are posting for the world to see. We have had visitors from 51 different countries this year! Make sure you put your best effort into everything that you post and that you meet our expectations. Don’t forget to include your stars, wishes and wonders when you are commenting on other blogs. As we move toward the end of the year and the end of your time in elementary school make sure you finish as strong as you started!

November 20

The Girl Who Could Fly ~ Chapter 18

Piper McCleod and the other students at I.N.S.A.N.E. all have different dreams of what they want to do when they get out. With our Thanksgiving break a mere 1 days away. If you had unlimited resources what would be your ideal way to spend the break? Post your response on your blog with the title “My Dream Thanksgiving Break”. Please be sure to pay attention to our blogging guidelines.