May 11, 2023

Welcome to My Nifty Notebook Nook!

A little bit about me...

Hello, everyone! 

My name is Desiree, and I am looking forward to learning some new tools to use personally and in my classroom. I am an English Language Arts (ELA) teacher and have taught at the middle school level for the last six years. I spent two years teaching sixth grade and three years teaching eighth grade. I am now finishing my first year teaching seventh grade. Last year, I changed school districts, so I have been spending most of my time just trying to get the lay of the land of a new place without having a total meltdown. I'm still standing, so I guess I'm doing pretty good! However, I don't know how to leave good alone, so I obviously needed to liven things up by enrolling in a couple of classes - eek!

Image Source: Tenor

Lucky for me, I have my two buddies, Duke and Cayenne, for a good squish when I'm stressed. They may or may not be as thrilled about it as I am, but they'll put up with me as long as they get their kitty crack (aka Temptations). 

 Image property of The Nifty Notebook Nook
 
I am hoping to earn my Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) by December, and I have planned to take all of my courses in education technology to also earn the tech endorsement. I'm really looking forward to this as I am always super interested in all the different tools and programs. I'm a quick learner and I can easily get lost for hours learning new technology that I can use for myself and, particularly, my classroom. Whether it's new ways for the kids to publish their work or to just review the content we have been studying, it's all beneficial. Lately, I have been particularly interested in organizational tools connected via different platforms. I am a complete planner to the point where I may or may not have a tendency to go overboard. I have already spent hours dissecting the syllabus and placing it in color-coded tables containing checklists, directions, and rubrics images via Google Docs. Okay, so I may have more than a tiny problem with overdoing things. However, as a kid, I really struggled with executive functioning and comprehension, and these sorts of tools made it possible for me to be a successful learner. I love introducing these tools to my students, who I see having the same struggles I did. 

Most recently, I have been looking into the website Bublup to see if I can utilize it as an easily shared online planner. There are plenty of online planners, but I still haven't found one simple enough for some of my struggling students. On Bublup, I discovered that I can share daily checklists with my students so they can edit them, and I can monitor that they are on track and managing their own workload. I'm still figuring it all out and deciding whether it is the best resource, but I can't wait to learn more! 

3 comments:

NMZumpano said... [Reply]

I would love to see how you marked up the syllabus if you are willing to share that! What a great idea. Your cats are adorable. Mine, as well, love Temptations! I'm looking forward to learning more about your thoughts on instructional technology this summer, Desiree.

Peasesm98 said... [Reply]

Hi Desiree,
I must say, I'm very impressed by your extensive background in education. Given that my degree will be in LIS, working with students like you is a slight departure from most of the other courses I've taken. As I'm considering doing something in an academic setting as part of my career, perhaps there are pointers or things you can teach me that I haven't learned elsewhere so far. Either way, I look forward to interacting with you more this semester!

Mary McLeod said... [Reply]

Hi Desiree! Congrats on the new job and getting the lay of the land this year! It's awesome that you're so invested in learning more about technology, both for yourself and for your students, and I'm sure you'll finish up the degree strong! Bublup sounds like an awesome tool for engaging with students, I'd love to check it out and see what can be done with it. And your kitties are so cute and look so sweet!

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