Camp Reflection

Both experiences with tech camp through Mounds View School have exceeded my expectations. I think it is a combination of the professional development content and timing. The summer allows me to critically consider the tools shared and reflected upon by my colleagues, and then apply tools to several parts of my curriculum. In addition, during the summer, I liberate myself by tolerating more mistakes. I know, as a teacher, I preach the value a making mistakes constantly to my students; however, for me personally, I feel like I don't have time for "big-growing" mistakes during the school year. For example, on my first try, I couldn't get the branching technique to work for my Google Form, but after walking away and trying again a few days later, I was successful. Lastly, being connected to teachers from my school and others is highly engaging and motivating. Easily accessing their work and then using Blogger to dialogue is very efficient. I must confess, I feel hesitant to use Blogger with my students. The layout and formatting options are a bit tangled. To facilitate and moderate this forum feels too complicated for me, but I plan to explore Kidblog as recommended by other nerd campers.

After reflecting on my journey and perusing my blog pages, I predict that Google Classroom and Forms will be the learning that I carry-on and extend into my classroom this year. Piles of paper have been a permanent part of my classroom setting, which I am ready to dump. G. Classroom and Forms will help me move toward being paperless and help me deliver my resources in a more consistent, organized manner. The obstacle in this journey will be supporting my students and using clarity with directions and procedures, while we transition to learn with more 2.0 and technology tools.