June 9, 2019

My 2018-2019 School Year Reflection

Like most teachers, I strive to learn and do more with my students.  This was a big year of growth for me.  I explored student voice, augmented reality, and deepened my understanding of iPad and Apple app integration.  This is my 2018-2019 school year reflection.




Let me hear a “woot woot” for student voice!  This year, I became more involved with #studentvoice.  My students have Flipgrid fever, and to tell you truth . . .so do I!  Flipgrid is user-friendly and high-interest.  I’ve enjoyed using it with students and watching classroom teachers in my building embrace this tool.  We used it a lot to prep for our visit by the champion of student voice, Olivia Van Ledjte.  Her visit to our school sparked an increase in student voice, passion projects, discussions about #digital4good, and student empowerment to change the world.  Thank you, Liv, for your influence!  You are the definition of #KidsCanTeachUs



“This is SO cool!” said by a 5th grade student exploring AR.  I jumped into AR this year with the Merge Cube.  At a cost of only $15.00, this little guy is a big bang for your buck!  I used the Merge Cube with 5th graders this year.  We use the Galactic Explorer app to explore the solar system and even coded Ozobots to orbit Earth like the Moon.  I also introduced 5th graders to CoSpacesEDU where they designed virtual book reviews to view on a Merge Cube.  Thank you, Mary Howard, for sharing this fun AR creation!


It’s official . . . I have fallen down the Apple rabbit hole.  This year, I became an Apple Teacher and attended Apple Academy in Austin, TX to become an Apple Learning Specialist.  I’m blown away by the iPad’s impact on teaching and learning.  I did lessons with mark up, Clips, and Keynote animations.  These features and apps had a “wow factor” with students and staff and I can’t wait to do more.  Apple iPad and apps, you are a game changer!