Game On! STEAM Day

Happy Friday! Does anyone else feel like they blinked and it's suddenly mid-April? What happened to the last few weeks?!

Anyways, if you follow me on Instagram, you might have caught my stories when we did a school-wide STEAM Day with a retro video game twist! We do STEAM days twice per year, just before our breaks as a fun way for the school to come together and get their STEAM on! Teachers love it, kids love, and I love, love, love it! 

I had quite a few requests for the resources, so here you go!

Tetris Puzzles & Pixel Art

 

Pac Man with Dash

Duck Hunt Pom Pom Launchers

Mario Kart Mazes

Sonic the Hedgehog Spheros

If you host your own STEAM Day, let me know with a tag or a comment! Can't wait to see!

Tech Tip Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! A couple tech ideas for you this week:

Class Dojo + Growth Mindset

NPR had an article recently of how Class Dojo can tie in with Growth Mindset - they've created a series of videos to help kids understand the topic. A little cheesy, but cute!

75 Google Apps Tutorials

As we use Google Apps for Education more and more in our day, there is always something new to learn! (growth mindset ;-) These tutorial videos range from 1-5 minutes on a variety of topics, from searching in Google, to YouTube and Google Drive. 

The Learning Commons

If you've been reading my blog for some time, then you might have seen my post back in July for our Learning Commons Construction Update. Well, our Learning Commons is finally finished! The month of September has flown by; between the Ribbon Cutting, Open Houses, #Playdates, and all the teaching and learning that has been happening, I'm finally getting around to sharing some pictures of our amazing space to learn!

Article from the Wilmette Beacon

<<WELCOME TO THE LEARNING COMMONS>>

<<TECH LAB>>

<<MAKERSPACE>>

<<MEDIA STUDIO>>

<<READING NOOKS>>

<<THINK TANK>>

<<COLLABOOTHS>>

<<APPLE TV & SMALL GROUP SPACES>>

<<COMMUNITY CIRCLE>>

<<RESEARCH LAB>>

<<GENIUS BAR>>

<<STORY STUDIO>>

 We also have an evolving website for our space, which you can find here. You can also follow us on Twitter @ExploreCentral.

I can't wait to continue to post and blog about all the amazing things our students and teachers do in the Learning Commons! 

Google Tone

Last week at the NICE Share-O-Rama, I learned about a Chrome Extension called Google Tone. This one is a life changer my friends!!

As a tech teacher, I often have limited time with students, and need to get them links and resources quickly. Especially for my younger kiddos, typing in a URL can take several minutes. Enter Google Tone!!

So here's how it works in my tech lab:

1) I installed Google Tone on Chrome on my laptop and on Chrome on all the laptops in my lab. {I made sure there was no one signed into Chrome when I installed on the laptops.}

2) I go to a URL on my computer I want the students to get.

3) Press the Google Tone icon.

4) Students get a popup message that looks like this:

5) Students click on the message and are taken to the website.

BOOM! Done!! 

I just tried it with a class of first graders and it was <<SO fast and easy>>. And when things are easy, its a beautiful feeling :-) 

#MakerMonday

As part of my blog makeover, I came up with a few "themed" posts that I could do throughout the year.. so here is the first #MakerMonday!

I taught summer school this year, and this time invented my own classes to teach. I came up with an idea for a GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math & Science) class, inspired by so many wonderful people and ideas, including Lindsey Petlak's STEMagination Station, Super Awesome Sylvia, Made with Code, GoldieBlox, and many more! I had two classes of wonderful girls, separated in grades K-1 and 2-3.  

If I could teach GEMS everyday of the rest of my life, I would absolutely, 100% do it! I had the BEST time! Each week brought something new, from using literature as inspiration for activities (like the Wizard of Oz, Mo Willem's Pigeon books, If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter), to sew electric projects, Squishy Circuits, building with Goldie Blox, coding and programming robots, and more.  It is impossible to choose a favorite activity that we did, but just watching the building unfold out each day of simple items and a little bit of imagination was magical. These are a couple of our Animal Catching Machines from If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss:

They look simple, but the engineering, creativity, thought, and imagination put into them by kindergarteners melted my heart each day. 

Check out the <Tinker> section for some photos of the GEMS awesomeness! 

Learning Commons Construction Update

Our Learning Commons construction started the day after school got out, and is scheduled to be completed in just a few short weeks! It looks {AMAZING} so far and will be such an innovative & inspiring place to teach in!

<< DEMOLITION >>

<< FRAMING >>

<< DRYWALL >>

<< Our New Office >>

When everything is completed I'll post before and after pics! 

Blog Overhaul!

Hey everyone! I'm back... and I can't believe it has been since March since I last posted! #badblogger

I reflected about the reasons I stopped blogging back in March... 1) I was swamped at school and so busy teaching and learning that blogging got put on the back burner & 2) I realized that my blog was too narrow for who I am. Yes, I will continue to post tech tips, but there is so much more to technology integration than that.. and me!

So, I sat down yesterday and started hashing out a plan. The first thing I did, was make a big change by deleting the name "iWonder" and changing it to "iTeacher Lauren". This has been my Twitter handle for several years, and it was always the address this blog was at via Blogspot. I think it will open new windows of opportunity for me to post about much more than just tech tips! So the first thing I changed was the header and then....

<< I BOUGHT MY OWN DOMAIN!! >>

Yes, I now own iTeacherLauren.com!! So, make sure you bookmark it :-) 

Next, I realized my content tabs were irrelevant, so I decided to just do a complete design makeover. With our Learning Commons being built this summer, I want to post and share my experience teaching in a new, innovative space. I want to connect and collaborate with other educators about what they are doing in their MakerSpaces and how we can imagine new possibilities for our students. And overall, I just hope to inspire other educators! 

Now, let me tell you something. Until yesterday, I literally knew nothing about html code or using PhotoShop. But, I was determined to get this up and running before the craziness of the start of the school year, so I dug my heels in and got to work. I watched several tutorials on YouTube, got frustrated, and persevered to make it all happen. Yes, this was {yesterday} and today it is all up and running! Thanks to Ashley at Schroeder Shenanigans for inspiring me to SINGLE TASK!

In a nutshell, that's my short story of why I was determined to make a change, and I am {oh.so.happy} with the result. I hope you are too, and I am so excited to continue this journey!

Cheers to a fresh start and new beginnings!

#CEOlympics Week 3

I know we are still in the middle of week 2 - but the end is near! AND I got some *awesome prizes* to share with you... from being connected myself! 

First off, new Twitter bird challenges are up in the Teacher's Lounge. These are worth HUGE points, so check them out! 

Now, what you really want to know about is the prizes, which I have. But first you have to read about how I got them ;-)

Over the summer, I made a discovery that I wasn't expecting - there are tons and tons of teachers on Instagram! They are sharing everything, from pictures of their classroom, projects their students have done, and even their #ootd (Outfit of the Day). It's been fun to have a little window into other teachers' classrooms! The first teacher I started following was my new friend from It's Elementary, My Dear, Lindsey Petlak (@lindseypetlak). From following her posts, I saw that she is very well connected in the teacher-Instagram world, so I started following some other educators, like @lessonswithcoffee, @iteach1to1, and even @welcometothecomputerlab. I also checked out some of the hashtags, like #teachersofinstagram, #teacherlife, and #teachersfollowteachers. It was fun to lurk & follow along until one day, I saw this:

I couldn't believe it... a Midwest Teacher Blogger Meet Up.. right in my neighborhood! And let's be honest, I was very interested in the "Goodie Bags, Giveaways, and Snacks" part of the meet up :)

So, in the spirit of Connected Educator Month, on Saturday I went to Lakeshore Learning to do some face to face connecting. It was SO much fun! 

Not only did I get AMAZING giveaways from Lakeshore Learning, Creative Teaching Press, and the fabulous bloggers that I met, but I also made some valuable face to face connections.. and the bottom right? Well, thats Lindsey and I, meeting in person for the first time! AND we are planning a Chicago Teacher Blogger Meet Up for this winter... so be on the lookout for more info if you're interested! 

So, lucky for you, I don't "need" everything that I came home with in the tech lab. BUT I want to share it with you, as prizes in the #CEOlympics! 

Follow a teacher on Instagram, email me who it is, and I'll give you 100 bonus points this week! Happy Connecting!

PD in your PJs

As I was reading Scholastic Instructor today, I came across a catchy headline - "PD in your PJs". It seemed very fitting for this week, since we had our Township institute day just yesterday. 

 

I think what we can all agree upon is that we want PD that inspires us and meets our needs as educators. "That's the beauty of the Internet: Instead of spending your PD sessions poking at stale bagels and discussing irrelevant topics, you can curl up with your laptop and seek out training that matters to you."  So, whether Tuesday inspired you or left you wanting more, here are some resources that can give you a daily dose of PD.

Twitter: 10 Ways Teachers Can Use Twitter for Professional Development

Coursera

Offers free MOOC's (Massive Open Online Course) such as "Student Thinking at the Core" and "Teaching Character and Promoting Positive Classrooms".

EdWeb.net

Free social and professional network that offers webinars.

SmartBrief

Subscribe to a daily news brief with the latest news in education. 

Edutopia

One of my favorites! Blogs, videos, articles, and more. 

EdReach

"EdReach provides a platform for passionate, outspoken educators, aiming to strengthen their voices by highlighting innovation in the field of education, through the reporting of critical educational news and providing commentary and criticism on the educational issues of the day."

Don't forget that we also have a district subscription to Atomic Learning, which is another great resource to learn something new!