The CONNECTED EDUCATOR - Self Developed & Self Inspired v2

An interview with Prof. Gura

Tone and Mood With 8th Graders

 This past week, I taught a few lessons and Tone and Mood for an 8th grade class. In my opinion, these two literary elements are abstract and challenging to teach because they require us to step back and  think out of the box. Fortunately, as educators we have access to resources other educators and edutech entities design and make available for us to use with young minds.

Edpuzzle has created wonderful and effective Edpuzzle Originals videos across subject areas. I was lucky to find one on Tone and Mood. 

 

In an effort to make the lessons with the videos more engaging, I copied the questions into a Jamboard documents, Tone and Mood, where the kids would talk to their buddy working partner, discuss the question to find the correct answer together. They then marked the correct answer in their own individual Jamboard document. Two immediate things happen here, students can easily read the questions, answer options and actively participate in their own digital copy. Students can later refer back to their annotated digital documents for use during their individual work time and assessment tasks. 

The best part is that the classroom teacher and students explore writing their own pieces applying the target skills. In the spirit of the National Writing Project, I give us all 8 minutes to draft a piece, then share our lines with the whole class and then give us more time to write. I tend to ask the kids, “should we write for 4 or 5 additional minutes?” Surprisingly, they say “five, five more minutes.” The room becomes silent and students enthusiastically concentrate in finding words to add to their work-in-progress drafts. 

Here are my drafts as a teacher writer.

Tone

Prompt question:

Winter Sparrow

This Sunday, I woke up very early because I wanted to go running before 8AM. As I walked into the park, what did I see? A sparrow on top of the park sign. It looked all puffy, fat and proud with its chest all out. Its head looked all tiny compared to its body and skinny short legs. 

Mood and Tone

Prompt question:

Sneaky Scorpions

A young lively teenager lived with her sister and parents in a two adobe story house near a deserted land full of huge boulder rocks. The temperature in that city is dry, arid and treeless. It’s known that scorpions creep under the rocks and occasionally visit the neighboring houses. They cling against the house walls minding the business of the householders. They think to themselves about the moving characters, “what secrets do you hold I get to watch?”

Rejection

Rejection

Dark green avocado

Made of soft creamy flesh

And sweet fruity flavor

Gentle to the bite 

And Saliva stimulator 

Pleaser to my capricious taste buds 

Yet, producer of undesirable facial facial bumps

An eruption to protest its fatty acids 

A love-hate relationship with tasty avocado fruit

Bright Flower - Poem

 

This summer I have been exploring writing. This is my poem of the day

Bright Flower

The bright red flower sustaining the dry heat 

Among the urban buildings short of green trees

Attractive to the driver’s eyes

When they wait for the traffic light to turn green 

Bright red petals bring a break

From the polluted air suffocating the burning streets

Season of the Osprey Documentary Airing on PBS Nature

Season of the Osprey

Amazing documentary, Season of the Osprey, airing tonight at 8PM (NYC time).

Helped create the resources below for educators. Check them out.

Osprey Nests | Season of the Osprey

https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/.../osprey-nature-season-40/

The Osprey's Journey | Season of the Osprey

https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/.../osprey-nature-season-40/

Osprey vs. Eagle | Season of the Osprey

https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/.../osprey-nature-season-40/

Grateful that I have gotten many ideas from colleagues I have worked with in the past to expand on teaching activities. Thanks @teachertechccs my partner from PBS Digital Innovator All-Stars Program.

#seasonoftheosprey #ospreysearaptor #NaturePBS #naturedocumentary

Under the Microscope: Microhabitats in Your Backyard

Happening now!

Supporting distance learning with Remind PD for NYC DOE Educators

Upcoming Remind PD Opportunity for NYC DOE Educators and Staff

Title: Supporting distance learning with Remind

When: Thursday 7/16/2020

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Session link to attend PD: 

Join Supporting distance learning with Remind Session

(note: Log in with you DOE credentials)

Agenda:

Session Synopsis:

Remind is the leading FREE communication platform for teachers, parents, and students in the US. Learn how to combine Remind's powerful messaging tools with trusted instructional tools to communicate more effectively with students, parents, and students in a distance or hybrid-learning situation. 

More sessions in DOE calendar: 

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: 8 Ways to Prepare & Connect at Conferences: #NYCSc...

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: 8 Ways to Prepare & Connect at Conferences: #NYCSc...: The #NYCSchoolsTech Summit is the largest annual #EdTech conference in New York City. At the conference innovative educators from across ...

Opportunity to Polish Your Teaching Skills at 2019 NYCDOE School Technology Summit

As teachers we always need opportunities to borrow ideas and strategies to be more effective teachers in the classroom. It's better to invest our time and energy in attending PD sessions to enrich and polish our instructional skills rather than struggle in the classroom on everyday basis. The Department of Education offers 2019 NYCDOE School Technology Summit this July 31, 2019. It's a great opportunity to build your Professional Learning Network #PLN.

Ms. Kaplan and I will be co-presenting session Demonstrate Learned Content Through Infographics with Easel.ly.

Session Description: https://www.easel.ly/browserEasel/9750489

Guest Writer about using tool in my previous classes: https://www.easel.ly/blog/easel-ly-for-motivation-engagement-and-assessment/ 

About Tech Summit: https://www.schooltechnologysummit.com 

Registration: Register to Attend


See you there!!!

Upcoming PD opportunity for DOE employees Saturday, May 11, 2019 

iLearnNYC: EdTech Tools to Personalize Your Learning

Presenter: Clemencia Acevedo 

You have to register to attend:

Participants will learn how to incorporate Remind, Kahoot, Easely and EdPuzzle to enhance their blended learning practice.

 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ilearnnyc-edtech-tools-to-personalize-your-learning-tickets-59700593081?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing 

You will receive CTLE credits 

Thanks to iLearnNYC FB @nycdoeizone Twitter @InnovateNYCedu 

If you need help, tweet your questions to @acevedo493

Keep Growing As An Educator

If you are looking to grow as a teacher and looking for professional development opportunities, here is your chance. Become certified as an expert in using technology resources you already use and love. Apply by 3:00 p.m. onMay 3rd for up to three #NYCSchoolsTech Partner Certification Program opportunities (you must log on with your DOE email and password to access).  Teachers will discover best practices for using technology tools and resources: 

• Google 
• Apple 
• BrainPop 
• PBS 
• SoundTrap 
• Easel.ly

A major positive aspect of this program is that graduates are connected with an elite cohort of educators and have opportunities to share expertise with their schools, districts, and boroughs, at workshops, conferences, and more. 

Program details 

Sessions have a mandatory face-to-face launch (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.). Participants receive 5 hours CTLE credit for each day of the launch. Most programs have a one-day launch. Additional certification requirements can be completed  online and/or at your work site. Check out program dates, duration, specific opportunities, as well as requirements for the work following the launch by viewing the program overviews on the employee InfoHub. There is no cost to participate but, this is a competitive program and space is limited. 

Application 

Use this application to apply. 

Audience 

The program is targeted to experienced technology users who are interested in further developing their expertise and sharing with others. Only about half of all applicants are accepted so it is important to emphasize your expertise and ability to share with others in your application. If you are accepted you will receive details such as program location. 

If you feel you are a baby tech educator, here are some options for those beginning their tech journey. If you are not an experienced technology user, consider visiting the training tab Schools.nyc.gov/tech to find our full suite of learning opportunities including options for beginners like Get Going with Google and Apple After Hours. Public view of these opportunities can be found at tinyurl.com/EdTechPLOs. You can also sign up for #NYCSchoolsTech Summit on Digital Inclusion(May 23rd) or annual Tech Summit (July 31). Both have many offerings for those just starting to discover their tech potential. 

  

Acceptance Notification 

Participants will be notified of acceptance by June 3rd. If you miss the deadline, check the link, there may be a few classes still open for applications. If not, you can apply for a future round. 

 If you have questions and need support from certified graduates, join educators FB group facebook.com/groups/NYCSchoolsTech/ 

Post was adopted from message sent by #NYCSchoolsTech team. 

Donors Choose Fundraising Project

Today I submitted my Accomplished Writers and Publisher's DonorChoose Project. I am grateful that there are opportunities to equip our classrooms with supplies so that our students can thrive in their journey as learners. Thanks to DonorChoose.org, partners, educators and supporters for working together to ensure our students have enough tools and resources to learn at their best.

Click here to view Accomplished Writers and Publisher's project. 

iLearnNYC: EdTech Tools to Personalize Your Learning - Upcoming PD opportunity

Upcoming PD opportunity for DOE employees Saturday, May 11, 2019 Register to attend. Presenter: Clemencia Acevedo  Check out "iLearnNYC: EdTech Tools to Personalize Your Learning" https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ilearnnyc-edtech-tools-to-personalize-your-learning-tickets-59700593081?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing 

You will receive CTLE credits 

FB @nycdoeizone  Twitter @InnovateNYCedu