Stuff I am Trying This Year

Below are some of the cool/nifty/awesome things I am including in my classroom (now 6-7th grade) this school year!

1. Remind101 
https://www.remind101.com/

Holy cow, what a resource for teachers! I have seen things similar to this website, but I have a feeling this one is going to be a winner this school year. What is it, you ask? Well, here I'll tell you: Remind101 is an online tool that helps teachers stay in communication with parents and students WITHOUT having to give out your cellphone number. Now, I am not hiding my cellphone number from my student's parents this year (because I have guidelines for contact and I am hopeful that with such a small class we will be fine); however, this is a great site to use for reminders, important info, even school delays (as our small school doesn't have an automated system). The beautiful part for the person sending out the messages (Ms. Teacher Pants) is that you type out the messages from your computer! And I really hate texting- I find it difficult to get everything out there that I need and getting a million buzzing texts while trying to punch in important info and getting interrupted just brings out the Hulk in me. (hehe, we all have our faults, right?) 

Here are some other cool features of Remind101:
-You can schedule when messages are to be sent out. So if you know that a big due date is coming up for your students, you can schedule when they get those pesky, but helpful, reminders! Great for busy teachers!
-During "Game Season" when kids are attending soccer and basketball games in the evenings, it helps to remind parents during their busy schedule that their child might have something due because we all know it is easy to forget those things! "Buzz, buzz- homework due tomorrow!"
-You can personally remind your students without them having your cellphone number. While I don't mind parents having my number, I really don't want my students texting my cell. (Srsly, tho)
-If parents would rather receive email updates, they have the option
-It's super easy to navigate 
-You can plan for multiple classes (Ex: Math, English, Science) and you can add all of your sections to one message if it is something that affects everyone. 
-For you smart phone people, there's an app!
-It's Ms. Dawson approved! 

I literally just found this thing today, so feel free to comment if you know of any other cool features, or if you have experienced any hang-ups with Remind101. (I am hoping that the messages can be saved because it would be very helpful in communication documentation!) I have only tried it with my cellphone, but I already love it! 

2. Cellphone/Electronic Prison

   

Ironic that we push for technology, yet it can be such a distraction in the classroom if not used properly! In my 6-7th grade classroom, we will have access to two computers, a Kindle Fire, a computer in the classroom next door, and of course, all the gadgets my students are bound to bring in. Will we use these devices? Yes! Will we be playing the latest trend game or surfing funny photos? Absolutely not (insert teacher glare here). 
So, in order to prevent misuse of electronic devices in my classroom, I will be including a "Phone Prison" for those devices that simply cannot get themselves together. The above picture isn't mine (I snagged the idea from Pinterest), but my prison container is similar. I am hoping the very threat of cell phones being taken away is threat enough to keep those devices in check. 
What do you do to control the device usage in your classroom? Comment below! 

3. Notebooking!

This year, notebooking is a focal point of my curriculum. I hate when work pages become the main thing students have to tackle in a subject- boring and not at all conducive to true learning. And there are a LOT of workpages in education, especially the curriculum my school uses. Our notebooks are going to be (hopefully) awesome references- a way to track what we have learned, look back and reference information, and a way to make learning fun and interactive! It promotes study habits, responsibility and allows for creativity. I love it! But- it's a lot of work to keep up with several notebooks per student. Currently, we are notebooking for four, possibly five, subjects. That means 4-5 composition notebooks per student and of course composition notebooks have black spines. This tiny detail makes transitions and organization a lot harder for students (and for me to keep my sanity in a tiny classroom). So, I have done something similar to the above picture. I used neon Avery labels, wrote my students' names on them and then used clear packaging tape to attach it securely to the spine of each composition notebook. My hope is that while we are transitioning into different subjects, I can just command my learners to "grab your green notebooks" and we will be on our merry way to learning. Small detail, but big difference. 

4. Student Library 

We have a nice little classroom library going thanks to Goodwill and good friends despite the fact that January will mark my first year of teaching. (I just love being ahead of the game!) This year, though, I am asking my students to bring in some of their favorite books for a "Student Section" of our classroom library. I am hoping this will be another classroom/home bridge and will also encourage my lovely learners to increase their appetite for reading as well as their appreciation for different genres of literature and their classmates preferences/opinions. It's a small, easy thing to implement and requires just a little effort in encouragement. 

5. The Pencil Challenge

Last year, while expressing my slight frustration with the typical pencil problem in the classroom, I jokingly remarked to my students (after seeing the above picture online), "Next year I am going to have 'I <3 Justin Bieber' pencils for those of you who cannot seem to stop losing your pencils and leaving them lying around." To my surprise, my students freaked out. I didn't think they would take me seriously, but they sure did. This led me to do some snooping around on Pinterest and I found a blog from a teacher with the same pencil frustration. I am hoping to model some of her ideas this year. (Here is her blog: http://www.ladybugsteacherfiles.com/2013/04/the-great-pencil-challenge-managing.html?showComment=1366584048941#c995318605198273943) 

I'll be honest, I don't have a pencil challenge detailed yet, however, I do know that I have exactly 100 unsharpened, brand-spankin'-new pencils in my classroom. And I am hoping to have quite a few left by the end of the year. I think J.Biebs can help with that one. 

Hope you have enjoyed the five random things I decided to share from my classroom! Look out for a "finished classroom" blog coming soon! I will show you all of my organization ideas and all that good teachery stuff! 

Love, 

Miss Laura