Time Away and Time Again

I have been away from my blog for some time. It has been a time of personal and professional reflection and growth.  Sometimes we have to step back and get a view of the big picture, it really does help with focus. I feel reinvigorated and ready to share again (not to mention prepare for the upcoming school year).

My time off has not been without learning. We implemented an iPad mini cart program for our school as well as getting the teachers on board with iPads in their classrooms. It has been a learning process for me as well as everyone involved. Some really great projects have come out of it already, though! (I'd love to hear how you are using devices in your classes).

One of my favorite projects this year was using StopMotion on the minis with my 5th grade class. They were asked to chose a scene from the book Wonder and create a stop animation movie using whatever they wanted for the characters. Such creativity -- we had everything from Legos, goldfish crackers, a mix of action figures, to drawings! The kids were great and their imagination was boundless.

Sadly, because we used the free version, I have yet to figure out how to share these videos beyond our school. But, these are the things that come with new endeavors and technology integration. Some of my teachers are also finding cool uses for the minis as they do research and instant assessment with their students.  It seems the possibilities are endless.

I just finished some certifications and have some ideas I want to flesh out for the new year. The #Edtech chats on Twitter are always food for thought. There are a few learning adventures (PD conferences) coming up -- maybe I'll see some of you at TeachMeetNJ or online at EdmodoCon -- possibly even at the DiscoveryEducation VirtCon.



Photo Credit: Flickr