Virtual Learning Class Notes

Over the first 6 days of fully remote/virtual teaching, I realized (as I was writing notes around the edges of my attendance roster or on random paper) I needed a place to take notes about what was going on during my Zoom meetings so I could follow-up with things once I had time.  Because I have so much tech going on to run the Zoom smoothly, creating a digital document wasn’t going to work. PLUS my to do list seems never ending, so creating something on paper that I can deal with and then toss would help me feel like I was actually accomplishing things. 🙂 

So I created a printable document to help me track things that happen in virtual class daily. I figure it can be used two different ways:

1. Print it once & laminate it. Use post-it notes on it for each period and then work through your notes at the end of the day and/or rest of the week.
2. Print it daily for each period or each day. 

I tried to come up with a variety of headings that teachers may want to use and added those around the outside. Use those to make the headings be exactly what you want before you print. If you have other heading suggestions, let me know and I can add them. You can change out the background if you want as well. 

Click the image above to make a copy of the file so you can edit it.

I am going to try it during my classes this week and see how it goes. Hopefully it will help AND provide me more room to take notes than on the edges of the attendance doc. 🙂 

#MathTeachCollab

I love teaching and I love teaching math. My whole life I couldn’t imagine ever doing anything but teaching. The connections I have made throughout my career with other teachers at my schools have created amazing friendships that helped me bridge going from college to my first job, from my first school to a new district and from one school to another. All of those teachers who have become great friends have shaped who I am as a teacher. I can tell you that since March, I miss those connections…seeing the people I work with on a daily basis and talking about whatever was on our minds, or whatever we needed to deal with.

What I never expected as a teacher was that I would have a whole other amazing group of math teacher friends through social media. I first met them all through their blog posts, then Twitter and now even Facebook. We even used to get together in the summers at Twitter Math Camp, organized by teachers, for teachers. We use the hashtag #MTBoS on Twitter. The stress of this crazy time has taken its toll on me and all the teachers I know. Shelli (@druinok)and I missed seeing the faces and collaborating with all of these amazing math teachers and about two weeks ago put in motion a plan to create a day for teachers to collaborate virtually. We even told ourselves if no one showed up, we could at least collaborate together.  🙂

Today was the first #MathTeachCollab day…a full day from 8-5pm CST on Zoom with discussion topics chosen by those attending during the last week or so. You can see the details below. We had over 140 sign up and throughout the day always had over 50 participating, sharing and collaborating with each other. People were able to come and go as they pleased, check out the sessions that interested them and provide ideas and thoughts when they wanted.

Shelli said it best when she said “We want it to be like a Twitter chat, but with faces.” We wanted it to be organic, open sharing so we could hear as many voices as wanted to participate. It turned out even better than I imagined and believe me, when I couldn’t sleep last night because of excitement and nerves, I considered ALL bad scenarios that could happen.

So THANK YOU to all those Twitter (& now fb) math teacher friends that joined us in this idea and made it flow so easily, shared so many great ideas and made the day amazing. I have excitement about the school year now, when before I was dragging my feet and avoiding thinking about planning and how to teach remotely and there are so many ideas…I can’t wait to check them all out.

Check out the collaboration doc from today. 

Join us on Saturday, September 12, 2020 from 10:00-11:00AM CST for another #MathTeachCollab! (Topic TBD)

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This August, I’m participating in a monthly blog challenge called Blaugust. To see the participating blogs, check the hashtag #MTBoSBlaugust on Twitter. Please cheer on our participants with either a tweet or a comment on their blog. It can be hard to blog on a daily (or even regular) schedule! 🙂

If you want to join in the blogging fun, it’s not too late!  Go HERE to check out  “directions” from a few years ago and some awesome helpful prompts if you need something to help you blog!

Posters 2018

I love designing posters, it’s fun for me.  The layout of fonts and choosing eye catching colors is relaxing…even more so when I am making posters when I SHOULD be doing other things for school. 🙂

I will add to this blog entry any other new posters I create this year. I had a list of what I wanted to make, but couldn’t find it when I started working on these so I will get to them later.  If there are any you want to see created, let me know!

First…I saw a post in a group of someone’s door to their classroom that said in vinyl “Calculate kindness into every day.” and I fell in love with it!! However, I currently don’t have vinyl to add it to my door, students peeled off the vinyl I had on the door last year and I wasn’t about to cut out all the letters and tape them to the door.  So…a poster I must make! In the file linked below (click on the picture), there are quite a few PDF color options and different calculators for you to choose from.  For me, I can get this printed poster size through my district and tape it to the wall or door or put it somewhere else.  I do like the idea of having it be something my students see while outside my classroom before they enter, so we will see where I decide to put it!

The second poster I made was because of one I saw @cheesemonkeysf had added above her calculator caddy.  I have a similar caddy and am happy to borrow out calculators, but they are also supposed to leave a shoe in my classroom….yet they forget many times. That’s how I ended up 4 calculators short at the end of the year last year, they had walked off never to return.  I found a few at goodwill this summer so I have enough now if every students needs to borrow one.  We use Desmos all the time in my classroom, but sometimes they need the handheld. Click on the picture to grab the link to the PDF.

8/22/18 – I saw a tweet by @fastcrayon WAAAYY back in July and “saved it” on Twitter by liking the tweet. I finally came back around to it as I was going through my likes.  The second I saw this I KNEW it needed to be a poster. So I created some…there are THREE different versions below, including some that have it all on one page. Hopefully you will find something you can use for your classroom!

8/26/18 – I made two new posters that focus on Growth Mindset and Grit in the classroom.  I’ve seen the YET bulletin boards, but my bulletin board space is limited, so I wanted a poster instead.  The second one uses some exit slip questions I want my students to refer to daily.

Links: Yet Poster and Mathematician Grow PDF files to print.

9/1/18 – Another Growth Mindset poster in two styles. Click on the graphic to access the printable PDF.

9/2/18 – I was on a roll during my relaxing Labor Day weekend and cranked out TEN more posters that were on my to make list.  The links to the FREE printable PDF files are under the snapshots. Enjoy!

Links: 365 Days / Be You / Believe in Yourself / Power of Yet / Parking Lot / In my class / Today / Dear Students / Control Myself / We like your face

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This August, I’m participating in a monthly blog challenge called Blaugust. To see the list of participating blogs, click on the logo below. Please cheer on our participants with either a tweet or a comment on their blog. It can be hard to blog on a daily (or even regular) schedule! 🙂

If you want to join in the blogging fun, it’s not too late!  Go HERE to sign up! 🙂 Included are some “directions” and some awesome helpful prompts if you need something to help you blog!