Day 20 Presentations, Remind, Twitter, Awards

Day 20

                                                                      2015 GAETI Participants

This is our last day together in the summer GAETI institute. Although we will miss each other we will be happy to have a few weeks left to enjoy our summer vacations.
I will look forward to school this year so I get to use many of the technology tools we learned in this program.

Today we presented our e-Portfolios. Most of us were not completely finished but we still had an impressive amount to show. I would not have been able to create a webpage, nor could I use most of the technology on my webpage when I started here on June 1.

Ms. Latham, our Art teacher presented awards to each and every student. My award was the 'Get it Done' Award. :) It was a good reminder of how students feel when the teacher notices enough about them to make a special 'honor' for them. I will try to do better at honoring my students, even if it comes to writing thank you emails. A personal note is always cherished.

I believe the part of GAETI that I found most useful was the power of using Google +.  Things I have learned to use are: Gmail, Google docs, Google drive and Google maps. I will have to review my notes to remember some of the technology tools we learned but I know these things well because we used over and over again. I feel comfortable using them with my students this year. The librarian says our students will all get Gmail accounts this year. I am glad to be 'ahead' of the game on sharing documents and blogging.

I hope to have the time to integrate technology more fully as I plan my lessons this year. I know it will take time to start, but save time in the long run. In particular, I plan to use AudioBoom and to record sound for PowerPoints. Since we will have Schoology, I was glad to get some insight into using Canvas, another LMS. I will ask my students to make movies this year, probably with iMovie, I expect my experience with Camtasia will carry over to iMovie. I am convinced that whatever technology tools I integrate into foreign language instruction, my students
will be better prepared for productive lives in the 21st century.

I am so glad we're not saying 'goodbye' forever as we leave today. I have grown attached to this group of teachers. We'll get together two more times during this school year so we can report on our progress. I expect that I will have questions and I will need encouragement to keep spending extra planning time to get the technology into my lessons.

For a list of our participants see gaeti2015.blogspot.com. See you in October.

Day 19 Skype, Lesson plans, Present art project

Day 19

Wow! We are almost done with GAETI. Our most intense work is going on right now since the deadline is upon us!
This morning we Skyped' with a gentleman from Turkey. He shared a lot of interesting information about education and culture in Turkey. Since Turkey is partly Asia and partly Europe, it is very rich in culture AND very rich in history!

Today we are finalizing lesson plans and our e-Portfolios. We have so much technology and so many ideas 'knocking around' in our heads. It is hard to get it limited to one final product.

My art project was just 'OK.' I see a way I can improve it - cut and paste letters on the oval shape to replace the pasted word 'Bienvenidos.'  If I get that done, I will probably frame the piece and hang it by my classroom door.


I don't have much time to blog since I need to finish my lesson plan. I'm sure I'll have to put the finishing touches on at home but I'll keep working for now!

Day 18 Portfolio, Padlet, Audioboom, Piktochart, InfoGraphic

Day 18

We worked really hard today. Fortunately it is pouring down rain so I have time to talk about it!
We started by about learning about Padlet, Students can type in responses on a 'board' created by the teacher.  We logged in using Google and used the 'gear' icon to create our padlet.

Then, we created an infographic in Piktochart. I downloaded the image as a png. file and saved it on my flash drive.

Last (and most useful for instruction) we used AudioBoom to add audio content to a picture. Ten minutes of sound are allowed. Mine was about 1 minute ... just 'hook' questions based a picture that leads into my lesson. I will try to use this in my lesson opener's Power Point.

After lunch I affixed all the cut out shapes to my art project. The glass wasn't ready. I created the description/caption which will be placed on the back of the project. I will take a picture to upload tomorrow after the glass is added. We have to frame the project on our own. Hopefully, my husband will help me with that so I can display my Welcome sign in my classroom.

Dr. Lee taught us how to create a Course in Canvas. When the instructor sets a project as 'graded', he/she creates a rubric. Then, when the students have  submitted the assignment - the instructor selects 'Quick Grade' and highlights the rubric to quickly score the assignment.

We spent more time on our website / e-portfolio. I will try to complete some work at home tonight so my day isn't so stressful tomorrow.

Hasta la vista!

Day 17 Flat Stanley productions, Persuasive letter analysis, Lesson plan, Skype

Day 17
Three more days and lots to do!  Today we produced our Flat Stanley video. It is a comedy (of errors). I think we can really use it in class. Here is a link: Esteban el Plano


I got my glass cut for fusion. Tomorrow I should be able to paste everything together to finalize my art project.

The lesson plan is coming slowly. They say we can spend all day Thursday on our lesson plan. I hope everything is ready to polish off that day!

We met a friend of Dr. Beriswell via Skype. She is a charming and amusing lady who teaches English in Taiwan. She shared information about convenience stores in Taiwan. She also sent a video where three guys told the top ten interesting things in Taiwan. #10 was the convenience stores!

That's about all I can BLOG today. My lesson plan is waiting.

Hasta mañana.

Day 16 - Filming Flat Stanley, Lesson Plan work

Day 16

It was Monday. What can I say?  Dr. Beriswell helped us finish our digital movies. We also finished and printed our letters requesting that a school district implement a BYOD policy.

Nancy and I collaborated on a script for Flat Stanley (Esteban el Plano).  We took him to various locations on campus and filmed him, pretending to ask Spanish questions about why he was there. For example - 'Why are you here ?'  (at the library) Then, we answered the question for him - 'You wanted to use the dictionary?'  After each segment, Esteban disappeared. I had to track him using the GPS on my phone. He went to the library, the stadium, the store (Barnes and Noble), the restaurant (Subway) and the post office.  We actually left him in Barnes and Noble and I had to run back to get him so... the part about 'Where is Esteban?' came true.

It took our whole lunch to film, buy lunch and return to the computer lab.

After lunch, we worked on our lesson plans. We included the strands and objectives for our subject, CCR (College and Career Readiness) and ITSE (Technology).  We will need to create or collect all our handouts, etc. in the next two days!  Wish me luck!  I need turbo-power:)

Hasta mañana.

Day 15 Federal Reserve, Prezi, Digital Storytelling

Day 15

Ms. Bennett from the Federal Reserve shared lots of information and goodies with us this morning. There are some great educational materials available at various websites. My favorite goodie is a set of Barbie Career cards, which are available on the web. We can also get materials in Spanish and other languages about currency and the biographies of the men on currency. Just yesterday they released news that the $10 bill will change from Alexander Hamilton to a female, probably Harriet Tubman when it is up for the new design.

 Ms. Agnew from the library taught us about Prezi. She gave us a handout with a good explanation.

Dr. Beriswell discussed our Monday project of making a digital story with Flat Stanley (Esteban el Plano). We created a digital movie using Camtasia. It was easy since we had the color handout and careful directions of Dr. Beriswell. I am fairly sure this project will help me learn to use iMovie.

We have to bring a fully charged video camera or iPad with at least 1G of space for the movie project on Monday. We also need our headphone/microphone next Wednesday when we meet with Dr. Lee again.

Hasta el lunes.

Day 14 Webquest, Newspaper, Apps

Day 14

Wow, we worked hard today!  In the morning we started creating a web quest about Hispanic musical artists. We got so bogged down in the details that we didn't finish. After seeing the products from other groups, we devised a way to finish without so many details. Still, we weren't quite done even though we worked through lunch. When it's finished we will have a project we can actually use so it should be worthwhile to do it well.

After Art we created a newspaper from a Google docs template. Ours had three stories in Spanish with supporting pictures. Two stories involved the Pope and one was about Miss Universe trying to help Colombia with their peace effort.

That's all for now. All my energy went into other products today.

Day 13 Skype, Post PPT video to YouTube, Blog, Wiki, Webquest

Day 13
I was late today so I missed the Skype session from Chile! Nancy filled me in a little. Fortunately, there will be another Skype session. At least I got my insurance and payroll deductions taken care of . I also got a chance to take care of my business at the Credit Union.
In our morning session we learned how to create an online movie from a narrated Power Point. I have created my first YouTube video and we watched it in class!

Cutting in Arts and Crafts went more smoothly today. I still have about 7 shapes to cut but I think I've found the knack for cutting away the extra parts. 

After Arts and Crafts - we learned that the main difference between Blog  and Wiki is that Blog is an individual tool whereas Wiki is a collaborative tool.

The final topic was how to create a WebQuest. We named our Foreign Language group 'Las ExploraDORAs'.  Get it?  "Dora" the "Exploradora?" Anyway our WebQuest is started. The task will be to make trading cards for a musical artists during Hispanic Heritage month. The finale will be a role-play lip-sync contest where the group members stage a performance by the artist. A 'panel' will judge the performers and select a winner.

Hasta mañana.

Day 12 Canvas, Copyright laws, Storytelling, Web Portfolio

Day 12

Dr. Sang Joon Lee  introduced us to Canvas. I emailed my school's administrators to find out if we were using Canvas. The reply was that we would use 'Schoology' as an LMS. Mr. Smith offered to get me on the training list so I could help train the staff when school starts! We created a Canvas account for our GAETI course. Before lunch we had a lesson on Copyrights. The main things with using copyrighted material:  use should be for educational purposes, cite the author, use 10% or less of the work.

I started cutting out shaps in Arts and Crafts today. I cut out three of the 22 shapes. At this rate I will finish cutting 7 days from now!

We returned to the lab to learn more about Canvas. We created a Storify account and our story was about BYOD. We learned how to embed videos and URLs. We used our story as a reply to Dr. Lee's question in Canvas.

We returned to our Weebly web page and learned how to add pages and insert links. We placed a link to our Storify story on the Technology page.

My webpage looks fairly sad. I hope there is time to improve it!  I read a quote today that went something like this:  "Done is better than perfect." I need to work on internalizing this philosophy!

Day 11 BYOD, 1:1, Persuasive assignment

Day 11
Today we have been discussing using devices in our classroom, either by BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or the 1:1 program (all students have a district-issued device). We listed and discussed Pro's and Con's for both ideas. I'm still anxious to get the student devices as long as we have an adequate plan for implementation.

Since Lowndes County will be a 1:1 district I have thought about this quite a bit and I have a lot of questions. I'm wondering if our textbooks will be shifted to online. Our current Spanish book has a CD-Rom version but the students will receive Mac Book Airs, which won't have the CD-Rom drive....

 I have just written an email to all three building-level administrators asking them my questions about the 1:1 program.

We continued to work on Arts and Crafts. I really wish mine has no marker marks on the watercolor. I guess it will all work out. If my finished project looks ridiculous - maybe I could re-do it at home from start to finish. I'm not too good at being 'abstract'. I like neat, even, symmetrical designs ....

We received an assignment to work on a persuasive letter to a school district reluctant to allow educational use of electronic devices at school. I think my main angle would be that the district network could limit and monitor what they will be able to do.

Hasta mañana.

Day 10 Native Am. Rights, Found poem, Mini field trips

Day 10

Native American Civil Rights was our morning topic. Views and stereotypes of American Indians have developed in our nation's history and are still being reshaped.

Next we made a 'found poem' based on points that stood out from a reading about Mississippi's decision to secede from the Union. I have heard of this activity. It might be possible to do a simple poem in Spanish.

We went to the library for a tour of the Ulysses S. Grant collection. It is an impressive collection of General (President) Grant's letters, photos and family possessions. I learned that he was 'tender' toward his family. Also, there is a book (one of 4) of actual photographs from his funeral and the 7-mile funeral procession. It is too fragile to be viewed so it will be digitized for preservation.


We returned to Arts and Crafts for Day 3. I'm ready to outline my shapes on watercolor. Then, I will glue the whole sheet to foam-board before cutting it out.




Afternoon excursion #1 took us to the Cobb Institute.  In the archaeology museum there were quite a few connections with language, replicas of the Rosetta Stone, Hammurabi's Code and various Assyrian writings. We also visited the 'pot' room where they reconstructed items from different digs. The tour guide was an artist, turned archaeologist, who drew houses, etc. based on the information from the digs. I still wonder if I could have made a career as an archaeologist. It seems so interesting, like a puzzle....

We entered Hilbun Hall to see the Geology exhibit. There was no problem with being hot on our walk since it was raining!
We had a question sheet to look for certain information about Mississippi. We did find that both MS and England have chalk deposits, a valuable resource in MS is coal and that the Black Warrior Basin (in NE MS) has the oldest fossils because it was covered by a tropical sea, rather than the ocean.  There were lots of relics found in Lowndes County and other places in MS. I have always loved finding special rocks and looking for fossils. I wish I knew more about rocks and earth science.

Well, time to head home for the weekend. Can't wait to see what we'll learn on Monday!

Day 9 Morphing in 21st century teachers, Arts & Crafts 2, Starting 'Big' Lesson plan

Day 9
'Morphing into a 21st Century Teacher' was our morning topic. Ms. Kimberly Lane gave us lots of suggestions for Integrating Technology. I created a user account for Kidblog and LiveBinder. I'm interested in learning more about 'Audacity' and how to make a podcast. This will be a great tool for 'catching' up students who were absent. She also 'walked us' through the process of sharing Google docs with each other.
During Arts and Crafts we added 3 more layers of color to our 'watercolor': markers, pastels (chalk) and acrylics. We also started to cut the shapes for layering. I hope the final produce looks good because I really want to use it by my classroom door.
Dr. Bracey led us in Lesson Plan Development. It is hard to believe that anyone does this for each unit. It is intensely detailed. I'm wondering how one should handle multiple preps if this is a required format...?

Day 8 Arts & Crafts, Board game, Team-Based Learning

Day 8

We had a team-based learning activity this morning. Nancy and I discussed using this to explore a Quinceañera celebration. It could be the model for smaller projects (for pairs) related to other holidays.

After lunch we started an arts and crafts project. We will layer designs into a final project. Today's layer was water-color. My final design will be a 'Bienvenidos' sign to hang by my classroom door. I am anxious to see if I have the ability to create the design I see in my head!

We returned to the lab and worked with Dr. Beriswell on using Excel to design board games. I noted some good (previously unknown to me) shortcuts for use in Excel. One is using ALT + enter to start a new line of text within the current cell. I am adapting my game to be a trip through Spain with questions related to Spanish culture, Spanish history, travel vocabulary and prices (numbers) in Euros.


Nancy and I decided to work on a Gesture lesson for our mini-project. We both will have materials to collect at home (or school) and bring tomorrow. She will bring me a holiday book for use in my final lesson.

¡Hasta mañana!

Day 7 CORE strategies in lesson planning, Board games, Show & Tell

Day 7

Today I got to 'Show and Tell'  Kahoot.it.
I think it was a 'hit' with the GAETI class.  I hope everyone has success using it to engage student interest.

We reviewed sample lessons planned using CORE strategies. We chose one to analyse. This afternoon we learned how to make board games using Excel.

Reflection of the day:

1. What are two technology tools that you are most likely to use back to school?

I plan to use the Zip Grade app and the Concept mapping at bubbl.us.

2. How do you plan to use them?

I will use Zip Grade to quickly grade vocab. quizzes or pop quizzes. This way I can give quick feedback to my students, within the same class period. (It's hard to find time to give quizzes back the next day and.... what about the absent students? They just copy the papers I'm handing out.)

I will show students 'bubbl.us' to help them organize information when they write reports. Some possible topics - All about me, My family members, Biography of a famous Spanish-speaker, Spain, Mexico, Navidad,....

Day 6 Backward design, planning performance assessments, lino, wordle, zip grade app

Day 6

Dr. Kun Huang (Quinn) will be with us for a few days. She is teaching us how to incorporate technology into our lessons. We used 'polleverywhere.com' to note the top three things we learned last week. Then, we turned them into a word cloud at 'Wordle.' The most frequent responses come us as larger words in the word cloud.

Next we discussed 'Backward by Design' lesson planning, in which the final performance objective is decided before the instruction is designed. After some review and disussion of writing good performance-based objectives Dr. Huang also showed us how to collaborate a definition in Google.docs. Then we wrote performance-based goals for a planned lesson in our content area using terms which could be observed and assessed (measured). We posted our goals on a bulletin board in 'lino.' Each content area had a different color post-it note.

Before lunch on of our classmates demonstrated how to use 'ZipGrade.com' to quickly grade tests. For a small yearly fee, the teacher buys the app for their smart phone or tablet. On the site, the teacher prints out an answer sheet (bubble sheet, like a Scantron) which the students will use to select answers to a multiple choice quiz. The teacher opens the app, scans the quiz and receives a score immediately. The results go in the cloud, from which the teacher and students can see feedback about the frequently missed questions, etc. I expect to purchase this app when the school year begins. The price was $6.99 in the Play Store.

After lunch - Nancy and I paired up to examine a document called 'Games and Icebreakers for ESL Classes.' As we examined the document, I shared 'Kahoot' with her and we played a game together to make sure it worked in this lab. We also made comments about the games listed and the success we had with some variations of the games. Nancy shared how she uses Quizlet. I didn't realize it was that easy to create vocabulary practice and quizzes. The images and sounds are already installed so there is little work to do for the teacher. Her students practice meanings and pronunciation in and out of school, on their phones while on athletic trips, etc. They can take computer quizzes in class and the results are immediate. I will definitely use this FREE app this year!

As for the super-fabulous lesson plan I have to create - I'm leaning in the direction of exploring holidays and festivals in the Spanish-speaking world. This should lend itself  to reading (maybe listening) to authentic sources; answering and writing questions and presenting an interview as a skit. The question-answer part is a troublesome part of instruction for me. I have a to-do list including creating a list of choices for the students and locating authentic resources for them. I would like to create a sample lesson so I can make the directions clear for my students.

The last thing we did on day 6 was to create a Weebly account at Weebly.com.  It will be paired with our gmail+ services. We started the web page design and we'll keep working on it tomorrow. Mine is frieseng8ti2015.  Come visit.

Day 5 Using this week's content, soft skills, crowdsourcing, HighwaySafety Program

Day 5
Focus this week was on 'content.' Dr. Bracey started the morning by asking us to reflect on activities this week which we could use in our classroom. I chose the scavenger hunt and thought about the roles I would assign for students: GPS Navigator, QR Reader, Recorder, Verifier(s).  I will have to figure out how to supervise the students who are out of sight during the activity. Each group would have different clues and would navigate to a place where they read a QR code giving them information and a question. They write the answer (or send it in electronically). Suggestions from other teachers made me consider adding 'photographer' as a job. A photo of the group at each spot would verify that they physically visited each location (no copying responses from another group or a previous class).
Other teachers planned to use computer games, MAGNOLIA and blogging. I'm sure I will want to use these also.
Dr. Bracey led us through a presentation about 21st Century Skills.  Employers are requesting students with 'soft' skills, rather than 'hard' skills. Hard skills can be taught on the job, but new employees need to have soft skills when they enter the workplace. Soft skills are hard to teach, define and assess. In order to teach soft skills we have to help students in many areas within every content area:  Communication skills (nothing with sub-standard grammar or speaking); Ethics and Integrity (reinforced by how students evaluate and 'treat' each other respectfully); Teamwork and Leadership; Interpersonal Skills and Empathy; Problem-solving and Critical Thinking; Punctuality; Flexibility and Adaptability; Professionalism; Self-Direction.  These soft skills should be integrated throughout all the activities we do with students.
After lunch learned about Crowdsourcing - how to get funded for educational needs. Mrs. Emily Tate shared two great ways to get funding for educational purchases. Nancy and I discussed needs for our classrooms - she needs a Promethean board, but we both could use small, USB recording devices for each student in our class. The idea is to use them to record student pronunciation, students practicing dialogues, monitor students during partner time, etc.  The teacher can take the recorder and save the audio to the teacher computer for teacher or whole-class review.
De'Marco Fomby brought us an entertaining presentation about the Mississippi Youth Highway Safety Programs. Some participants tried to navigate a walking course while wearing drunk goggles. It is obvious that impaired driving is unwise. He offers to bring several programs to individual schools. On program of interest is the 'Battle of the Belts,' a competition between rival schools about seat belt safety.
We returned to the lab where we had previously selected our 'unfavorite' objective(s) from our content frameworks. I chose asking/answering questions with clarification and listening to extract information. Since I am on the Framework Revision committee and I missed today's meeting in Jackson I decided to revisit the new framework as it stands. I used those objective numbers.
We sent the objective for our lesson plans to Dr. Bracey via Google forms. We also practiced creating a form and viewing the results of a form we created. I WILL be using Google forms. It is so easy and has MANY applications.
It was a great end to a great week!

Day 4 Field trip to Coal Mine

Day 4
Field trip day!  We headed  to a nearby coal-mining operation. I was expecting a mine shaft, but it was more like a strip mine. We learned that the mining process protects and even improves the environment in this area. They had an award-winning reclamation area where they had constructed a meandering stream. Wildlife was voluntarily re-introducing itself into the area. In one excavated area there was bass trophy lake where employees could fish.

After a delivery lunch, we toured the mine in our vans. We snapped pictures of ourselves beside the monstrous dump trucks used to move dirt and lignite.

The dump truck pictured is for transporting dirt. The 600 series trucks have a larger bed because they transport lignite which is lighter than dirt since it's full of moisture. The middle picture above is the drag line at work. The pan is so large it can hold two full-sized vehicles. The bottom picture show the giant Wirtgen machine, like an asphalt breaker on steriods. It is loading dirt into a dump truck. The drag-line machine weighs 8 million pounds and uncovers coal seams 24 hours a day, 363 days a year. It takes two operators who share a twelve hour shift, two hours on, two hours off. They alternate because of motion sickness from swinging the bucket (which can travel 80 mph.!). The machine itself travels 1/8 mph but doesn't need to move quickly.

The operation transport the lignite to an adjacent power company. This type of operation is called 'mine-mouth',  meaning the material is used nearby. The lignite is full of moisture so it is not economically feasible to transport it long distances.

Another coal mining operation is starting up in a nearby county. That mine will be a 'green' mine.
Geology has always been fascinating to me so I loved the tour and knowledge I gained. We did a lab about porosity and permeability when we returned from the tour. We found that clay held the moisture. This holds with the reasoning that clay-type soils are good for pond-building.

Future plans - bring my nephew to the mine to add to his knowledge of environmental biology. He recently graduated from college with a degree and he is searching for a place his job skills could be applicable. How about reclamation?

Day 3 - College-ready skills, GPS treasure hunt, Games & Sims

Day 3
This morning Vinnie Segaliano came to teach us about Common Core ELA  A.K.A. College and Career Readiness Skills. We analysed a lesson plan about the Great Fire in Chicago so we could apply the evaluation process.  It was a great (detailed) lesson but there was room for improvement so we gave it a '2.'
After lunch we had a brief introduction to GPS skills. We opted to use our phones to locate the clues for a Geocaching exercise.  We successfully located the clues, except for the last one! We discussed using this with our students, but will need to decide how to manage students once they go out of sight.  It could be a club activity where a parent chaperone is required. We could use QR codes as part of the clues they find at each location.
After the scavenger hunt we returned to Lab 255 to learn about Games and Simulations. We found five or more websites which allow us to play Spanish learning games or Sim. games made for native speakers. I spent some time at McDonalds in Spanish trying to learn how to farm the food for McDonalds without letting my cows die. It would be better with sound and it's not an appropriate game for vegetarians. The results are saved on our flash drives in a folder along with the PowerPoint and notes about the presentation.
Some helpful commands we used:
Screen Grab   PrtScn button, then CTRL+V to paste - This allows the user to easily 'screenshot' what is showing and paste it into a word document.
Tomorrow we're going on a field trip and lunch is included! Hasta mañana.

Day 2- Google maps, Civil Rights, Seasons

     Day two, June 2, 2015. We started the second day of GAETI in the library getting familiar with Google Earth and Google Maps. There are fabulous resources for foreign language teachers using maps. We can see anywhere in the world at map level, street level, etc.  We can navigate and the distances and travel time are automatically figured. We devised the idea of having students 'map' their route from home to school, home to the movies, home to friend's house, or any point A and B. They would then prepare directions in Spanish to present as they show the map on the Promethean board.  To check classmates' comprehension - they could have a classmate point out (follow) their directions on an unmarked map on the Promethean Board.
    After the map training - we viewed the impressive Kinsey collection of African American art and artifacts on loan to the library. In the afternoon this was followed by a presentation on Civil Rights, which is saved on my flash drive.
    Nancy and I ate lunch with Laura, our afternoon presenter. She attended GAETI last year and she talked to us about creating IPAs as part of our experience here. We reviewed the ACTFL standards and discussed Quizlet as a way to assess students. Nancy shared a website maintained by Donna Paget at Forrest High School.
    We had a brief geography lesson with Dr. Sherman-Morris. The presentation is saved on my flash drive. She also taught us a 'seasons' lesson before lunch in which students act out rotation and revolution by moving around the 'sun' (a selected student). At various stops the teacher discusses the seasons and equinoxes based on the slant of the earth. These vary by hemisphere. I can envision using this. I imagine clever students referring to their posteriors as the 'Southern Hemisphere' for the remainder of the term. A tout a l'heure.  (rusty French)

Day 1: Getting started, blogging, tour, standards, Magnolia, google

    Today is June 1, 2015. I am privileged to be part of the GAETI program with about 14 other teachers from Mississippi. We will be together for 20 days this summer and two more Saturdays during the upcoming school year.  I signed up for this program to learn how to instruct my students using the newest technology available. They will all be getting Mac books this fall so I want to be prepared to help them utilize the computer resources they will have available.
     So far today we have met our instructors and have seen an overview of the program. It looks fabulous! We have met each other and have begun to share ideas and information.
I will briefly touch on our topics and activities so I can remember everything later.
First - we had a survey. Then, we updated (or created) Gmail accounts. At lunch time - we went on a campus tour where I learned the history of some of the buildings.
     After lunch the other Spanish teacher and I met with Dr. J. Beriswell to learn about standards for Language and Technology. We highlighted standards that we can easily incorporate into our Spanish lessons. It should be very easy to employ technology for reading, research and presentations.
     Our group went to the library together to learn about using MAGNOLIA to assist in researching multiple data bases. Our school library uses this, as well as the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.
     Afterwards we returned to the Lab 203 to begin 'Blogging'.  This is something I've always wanted to do!  I'm proud that today I'm publishing my first-ever blog!