For many educators throughout the world, last week was known as the "Hour of Code." The Hour of Code event was a global initiative started by code.org. Their purpose was to bring coding and computer science into as many classrooms as possible. Code.org did a fantastic job at getting resources out to educators and providing the students great content to work with. What exactly is coding and why it is so important are great questions. Coding is a way of talking with computers to have them do what you want. Coding is expanding so rapidly into so many fields, as almost everything is computer based. It is quickly making its way into business, mathematics, and medicine that its importance cannot be ignored. Coding requires problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills. It is so much more than just sitting at a computer by yourself and typing. There is also a desperate need for females in the field of coding, as it is currently male-domi...

With my blended learning classroom truly coming into its own, me finally feeling as if I am no longer treading water, and all of my students engaged and energized, I am now starting to see how the puzzle pieces fit together. It has taken a long time to get to this point, 15 weeks to be exact, but it has been worth it. Not only do I feel confident and comfortable with the blended learning approach, but I also feel relevant again in the true world of education and what it should be. Creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Commonly referred to as the 4 C's in education and I have wanted to incorporate these since I read about them years ago. Finally, now I am with the blended learning classroom. Utilizing online learning forums like Khan Academy and Study Island have allowed me to personalize student learning and make my class student-centered. However those were just part of the puzzle. Now I am piecing the puzzle together using Google Classroom and code....

This past week, I was able to take a breath, step back, and observe my students at work. I was able to do this because the blended learning/flipped classroom is getting into a good groove, and it is starting to look like what I envisioned. However as I observed a lot this week, I saw some fantastic things my students were doing, that I did not envision happening, that made me so proud of them. I observed all students taking ownership of their learning. They were using the Internet effectively to search for answers to their problems. They were engaged every day, every lesson, at every station. I saw student confidence rise, even in the students who thought they were "bad" at math at the beginning of the year. I heard the quiet "yes's" throughout the room as the students worked on and solved problems. I saw "I love math" notes around the room on the small dry-erase boards. Students were asking more engaging, specific questions. Formative assessment s...

At the end of the first marking period, I asked my students their thoughts on their first blended learning experience. I had my own, but I wanted to hear from them. If I am having a student-centered classroom, how could I ignore their thoughts? My goal of getting their feedback was to find out if they thought they were getting an effective class experience compared to previous years, to see if I am on the right track from their perspective, to give them a chance to voice any thoughts on the matter, to see if there is a need to incorporate flipped lessons, and to share the results with my colleagues to start a conversation about blended learning and flipped classrooms. Looking at the data, I feel very confident going into the second marking period continuing to use the blended classroom model. Not only do I feel as if I am finally able to dig into it more, but the students are telling me they really like the approach. There also appears to be a need to incorporate flipped lessons...

I was recently in a meeting with a family and their child, and we were reviewing the student's goals for the year. When it came time for me to talk, I briefly went over the blended learning classroom with the family and my reasons for doing it. They seemed very much on board with the idea, then I asked for the student's feedback of the new approach. As soon as I asked and before the student answered, I realized I have yet to ask for feedback from the rest of my students. So at the end of this week, I intend to get all of my students' feedback on their thoughts of the blended learning classroom. If I am really focusing on making my time with them student-centered, then I must hear what they have to say and incorporate their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions into my, or rather, our class time together. Student feedback results coming on the next post...

I constantly reference basketball in my classroom, as I used to play and coach. I gave up playing over ten years ago, when during the course of one game I had the ball stolen from me and found a pass to me go right through my hands. I knew at that point I had to stop playing competitively, because I had gone from athletic to pathetic in my "athletic career" in one game. Anyway, when I reference basketball in the classroom, I reference it from the point of a basketball coach (not someone who is pathetic on the court) teaching his players how to shoot a free throw. Once the coach gives the proper technique and then models it, he steps away and lets his players practice. The coach may give pointers here and there, but the point is the coach lets his player practice on his own. The coach only steps in when he sees his player struggle, and sometimes the player will recognize his struggles, and will seek out help. Similarly, shouldn't a teacher consider doing the same? W...

As my blended classroom continues to evolve and grow into a more effective classroom every week, I am quickly realizing how this venture is not as frustrating or frightening as I made it in my head at the beginning of the year. Each week, I learn from my mistakes and improve upon my practice; giving my students and myself a better blended classroom experience each day and each week. In previous posts, I mentioned it's all about the learning, and that is true. No matter the device, it all has to come back to the learning for the students but also for the teacher. What I am learning is that as I incorporate the blended learning into my classroom, I still must incorporate my strengths as a 14 year teacher into as well. If I don't, then problems and frustrations quickly rise. For example, I have never been a teacher who can effectively manage log sheets of students work, so when I tried having students record their daily work at the independent learning station and turn their l...