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The End is Near

And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain... Frank Sinatra I Did it My Way. As Mr. Sinatra stated we are coming to the end. We have learned new ways to do things and revisited old ways with a new approach. I had hoped when this course started that it would give me a chance try some new things and that was a success. I was able to learn more about Google products than I did before and got more into Nearpod than I had before. I will not be able to keep up with technology like my 13 year old, however I have learned some new skills that will help me going forward in the classroom.
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That One Lesson

 We are currently working through Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion in class. While the use of PowerPoints and discussion was the way we rolled I did add a few twists and turns. I used large post it notes on the walls with questions.  If you were on the Oregon Trail what are 3 items you would take with you? What football team is named for the people who hunted for gold? Where is California on the map? (you might not be surprised at how many got that one wrong) While the students engaged on the Alamo, Mexican-American War as well as the gold rush and Mexican Cession, the area we spent the most time on was the map. Many of them are not sure which coast the Atlantic Ocean is on and thus do not know where the Pacific Ocean is. It would seem that Oregon was an original 13 colony. Maps are the greatest challenge in history. Due to technology (GPS and other Nav systems or just their parents driving them) they are map poor. While I understand that maps aren't "needed" for a...
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Andrew Jackson Tech or Low Tech

 In an effort to hit has many different learning points in my last unit about Andrew Jackson I employed a few options.  1. I used a traditional lecture that covered key aspects of Jackson's life, such as his background, presidency, policies (e.g. the Indian Removal Act), and legacy. 2. Encouraged student discussions in small groups to answer questions presented on the board. 3. Used Kahoot! and Quizlet to create fun games to play for learning as well as Brain Pop and Nearpod to give additional resources. What does all that really look like? That is a great question so glad you asked. While I have found that a unique mixture of all of the above through a unit. We have 80-minute class periods so straight lectures will put them to sleep. Believe it or not in 80 minutes too much technology will put them to sleep.  I am older in the game of teaching and technology is sometimes harder for me to pick up on. We keep rowing the boat and listening to others who are wiser than I am....
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Goals, Expectations, Future

  "What are your personal technology goals? What do you expect to gain from this course? Predict how this course might fit into your future aspirations." As we get an early start to this class a question is posed, "What are your personal technology goals?" That is a great question and one that requires a bit of thought. At my age what to I wany my personal goals to be? Do I want to be on the level of my students and my 13-year-old son, or do I just want to get as much loaded up as I can? It is safe to say that I want to know as much as I can. If I can continue to learn the new technology, they are adding into schools then I think I will be satisfied. My expectations from this course and how it fits into my future aspirations is much easier. I expect to learn how to use some of the technology I have some experience with better as well as learning new things I can use daily in the classroom.  I am excited about the opportunity to learn things that will improve my abil...
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