Ed 243 Magazine Practice Project

MARCH 2018 ISSUE NO. 1

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Image Source: https://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/10-reasons-today-s-students-need-technology-in-the-classroom

Cover: Image Sources:
https://blog.apaonline.org/2016/05/19/technological-vs-social-progress-
why-the-disconnect/
https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21725313-how-science-learning-
can-get-best-out-edtech-together-technology-and-teachers-can

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1. Idaho Teachers Association 25. Engage in Professional Growth

By: Sarah King and Leadership

2. Inspiring Learning: One Teacher at By: Paige Bluemel

a Time 27. Gamification: An Effective Way

By: Carrie Ashcraft to Engage Your Students

6. Smartboards: The Time Saving By: Sarah King

Whiteboard 30. Classroom Management

By: Monica Yost By: Rachel Smith

9. Technology in the Special 32. The Education Activity Table

Education Classroom By: Monica Yost

By: Rachel Smith 33. From the Perspective of the

11. Igniting the Spark of Learning Secretary Debra Manning

and Creativity Through Technology By: Carrie Ashcraft

By: Sarah King 35. The Perspective of a Professor of

14. Chromebooks in the History at BYU-I

Classroom By: Monica Yost

By: Paige Bluemel 37. Classroom Instructor Becky

17. Classroom Success Smith

By: Paige Bluemel By: Rachel Smith

18. Dynavox 39. Lori Bluemel and Her Passion

By: Rachel Smith for Teaching!

19. Teachers Pay Teachers: Creating By: Paige Bluemel

a Sense of Community Between Us 41. From the Eyes of One Who

By: Carrie Ashcraft Knows: A Professional Perspective

22. Tablets Instead of Textbooks By: Sarah King

By: Monica Yost 43. Teachers Pay Teachers

By: Carrie Ashcraft

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Sarah King

To teachers who feel on the brink of burn-out, the Idaho Teachers
Association invites you to a weekly seminar and support group.
In a safe and supportive environment, teachers can share feelings,

experiences, and instructional ideas and methods. Childhood and adolescent
specialists, classroom councilors, inspirational speakers, and professors of
education from Utah State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, and
Idaho State University will be present to offer instruction, and support to help

you get back on your feet.

Teaching is one of the worlds most noble and
needed professions. However, dealing with
aggressive or unresponsive students,
unsupportive administrators, and unfriendly

colleagues can quench the spark that keeps a
teacher teaching.

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Teachers are responsible for helping their students But what about when students just aren’t
become self-reliant in their own learning. interested in something, even when it is
relevant to them? What is the next step?
Inspiring Learning: One Teachers encounter students from all walks
of life and circumstances. Do they just have
Teacher at a Time to plug through it and jump through the
hoops? Everyone has experienced how
By Carrie Ashcraft boring that is and how little is learned from
Teachers have many responsibilities. One those experiences. Can a person become
major responsibility that has continually inspired by something eventually after they
come up is facilitating and inspiring students’
learning and creativity. There are a thousand Image Source: http://www.blog.entranceprime.com/inspiring-
and one ideas out there about how to inspire quotes-for-students/
students and help them become creative.
There is a need for the rising generations to study it for long enough? If so, what does it
continually be creating and building off of take to get to that point? Another side to this
what past generations have made or come up dilemma is that sometimes students do
with. But how do teachers do it? And how can understand, but they just aren’t inspired or
they get better? interested in the subject. How do we help
Teachers must let go of their fears. One great students become interested in something they
fear of teachers is they’re afraid to let originally thought was boring?
students out on their own because they might There is an article called Inspiring Students,
fail and become discouraged. Sometimes by Stephen Fallows and Kemal Ahmet,
teachers haven’t been taught or don’t know where they mention what the driving factors
how to allow their students the learning room are in students’ lives that motivate them to
they need. They expect children to create learn from the teacher. “Inspiring students is
when those children haven’t been taught how primarily a matter of motivation. When
to get to the point where they can make inspired, the students are motivated to engage
something of their very own. Some kids shut with the subject and to learn. An individual's
down and want someone else to tell them how motivation to learn is determined by a range
to do everything. Some refuse to do it either
way. Their reasoning might be that the
teacher is teaching them boring content they
aren’t interested in and don’t know how to
do. Students need to feel confident,
supported, and empowered by their teachers.
A great teaching method that has recently
been applied by teachers is called Bloom’s
Taxonomy. It describes how to build a sturdy
foundation for students to build off of.
Everyone begins by remembering and
memorizing things, but as one understands
and applies what they have learned, they are
able to create something new.

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of factors: the learner's desire to please the don’t believe they have the intelligence to
teacher, perceived need for the material gain understanding about subjects they
presented, the personal philosophical values struggle in (Dweck, 2007). One aspect of the
and beliefs of the learner, the learners teacher’s job and duty is to cultivate a growth
attitudes towards the materials being mindset in their students. However, it is not
delivered, the academic and career as easily done as said. How can teachers
motivate their students to take risks and
aspirations of the learner, and incentives and chances in their education?
rewards which are expected to accrue from An article excerpted from the book Inquiry
the learning” (Ahmet & Fallows, 1999). It is Mindsets: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders,
the teacher’s responsibility to deliver the and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners,
material in a way that students will be written by Trevor MacKenzie and Rebecca
motivated to please their teacher and Bathurst-Hunt, explores what teachers can do
recognize the need for them to learn this to nurture and inspire their beloved students
material. without relying on reading textbooks and
In Milton Chen’s article “If Technology memorizing facts. These authors give great
Motivates Students, Let's Use It!”, he gives an insight into how to make things more relevant
insight to one possible factor in student’s lack to students than previously practiced or
of interest. “I believe many students are bored thought possible, which is the key to helping
and unmotivated because of the way they are them gain inspiration. Once they are inspired,
being taught, with heavy reliance on reading they can aspire to become the best they can
textbooks, memorizing facts and figures, and be and to learn all that they can!
listening to lectures, over and over” (Chen, MacKenzie explains what teachers should
2010). Have the way teachers taught strive to do, which includes peaking their
influenced how students learn? There have curiosity, highlighting dreams, intensifying
been studies done about the teacher’s role in investigations, sparking curiosities,
education and how important it is. There is a enlivening engagement, brightening
part to be played by the students, but without interests, switching on wonders, and asking
the teacher’s support, that student is less themselves, “Are my students “connected to
likely to succeed. their learning”?” He goes on to explain the
Carol Dweck took a dive into this study of four types of student inquiry that lead to
motivation and success. In her book students becoming connected and inspired
Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success, (MacKenzie, 2018).
she talks about the two mindsets our First is the structured inquiry. This is led by
generation has: the growth mindset and the the teacher with the whole class. Students
fixed mindset. The growth mindset is one that will use resources and questions provided by
the person decides to learn from their the teacher “to create understanding, specific
mistakes and not let it define them. The fixed learning evidence . . . to document their
learning, and the performance task students
mindset is one where the person feels will complete as a demonstration of their
motivated by proving themselves and their understanding” (MacKenzie, 2018).
abilities. If they weren’t born with something Next is the controlled inquiry. “The teacher
(i.e. artistic or sports ability), they don’t have chooses topics and identifies the resources
it. Thousands of students around the world
are struggling in the fixed mindset. They

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students will use to answer the questions . . . can identify their learning needs and how to
The teacher provides several essential harness the potential of inquiry in the
questions . . . Students deepen their classroom” (MacKenzie, 2018). The plan of
understanding through several resources the inquiry is designed to build off of what the
teacher has predetermined to provide students have previously learned, just like in
valuable context and rich meaning to the Bloom’s Taxonomy. This method is more in
depth with the teacher’s role in helping
essential questions. Students demonstrate students become independent.
their learning by a common performance Whatever the case may be, students benefit
task” (MacKenzie, 2018). from having a teacher who encourages the
Then comes the guided inquiry. In this stage use of their brains. Teachers have to trust that
of inquiry, “the teacher chooses topics and students can and will discover and learn
questions, and students design the product or things on their own through their own inquiry
solution . . . The teacher further empowers and research. By using the steps of inquiry,
student agency by providing a single (or teachers can be assured they are giving their
selection of) essential questions for students students the tools necessary to become
to study, and the learner selects where to independent and self-reliant in their learning,
now and in the future. A teacher’s role is to
search for answers and how they will help them to look and dig deeper. Students
demonstrate understanding” (MacKenzie, will do the rest. Helping students become
2018). inspired begins with teachers, but it continues
Last of all is the free inquiry. The students get with them throughout their lives.
to “choose their topics without reference to
any prescribed outcome . . . With the support Image Source: http://www.mezcalhead.com/appealing-
and facilitation of the teacher, students
construct their own essential question, inspirational-quotes-for-students-in-college/
research a wide array of resources, customize
their learning evidence, and design their own References:
performance task” (MacKenzie, 2018). Ahmet, K. & Fallows, S. (1999). Inspiring Students.
Mackenzie goes on to discuss that “a
common misconception of inquiry is that
elementary learners will not be successful in
free inquiry.” The concern is releasing the
students to be on their own. “We’re often
asked, ‘How can they be successful with this
much independence?’” The point of going
through all these stages of inquiry is to help
the students gain an inquiry mindset and be
able to complete the process on their own in

the future. Teachers are responsible for
helping their students become self-reliant in
their own learning. Mackenzie points out that
“by the time we enter the Free Inquiry end of
the inquiry pool, learners are more
accustomed to their role as inquirers. They

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Chen, M. (2010). If Technology Motivates Students,
Let's Use It! Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-students-
technology.
Dweck, C. (2007). Mindsets: The New Psychology of
Success. Random House Publishing Group
MacKenzie, T, Bathurst-Hunt, R. (2018). How to Ease
Students into Independent Inquiry Projects. Retrieved
from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/50620/how-to-
ease-students-into-independent-inquiry-projects

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Smartboards are a great way for a Image Source: http://www.joetech.com/smart-boards-
teacher to model learning and work could-revolutionize-the-classroom/
with technology.
efficiently and effectively.
Smartboards: The Time Smartboards can make life as a

Saving Whiteboard teacher very effective and time
efficient. “Smartboards allow you to control
By: Monica Yost a presentation through a touch board, making
Interactive whiteboards in the classroom interaction easy. Unlike chalkboards or
have become one of the norms and sought- traditional whiteboards, these boards do not
after resources. A debated question that has leave behind any dust or marker residue”
been brought up is this: should they have this (Neville). When a teacher uses an interactive
role in the classroom? Many teachers use whiteboard in their classroom, anything they
interactive whiteboards in the classroom write on the “board” can be saved and used
daily. There are several ways to use again in a future lesson. Another important
interactive whiteboards, but are teachers part of saving previous writing is that the
using them effectively to model digital age teacher is able to go back to notes that they
work and learning? “The interactive have written previously in the lesson if a
whiteboard is an extremely powerful tool in student has a question, where as if they had
the field of education. It enhances the written it on an actual whiteboard, it would
experience of the student as well as the have been permanently erased. With saving
teacher by integrating various tools and their writing, a teacher ‘s reflection can be
enabling the instructor with them. Though more effective because they can go back over
one cannot deny that the device has its flaws, what was taught, and make sure that the point
it definitely pales out in the light of its of the lesson was conveyed as they had
advantages and disadvantages of using [an] hoped. A teacher can also save any activities
interactive whiteboard” (Brown). Interactive that they used during a lesson on the
whiteboards, or smart boards as they are also interactive whiteboard, and if the activities
called, can be very beneficial to a classroom. went as planned, the teacher can use those
They can help students improve their same activities in upcoming years and
technology competency, which is an classes. Smartboards can save a teacher a lot
extremely important sill in the world that we of time if it is used properly, and if the teacher
live in today. One of a teacher’s most understands how to use the smartboard.
important responsibilities is to prepare their When a teacher demonstrates knowledge of
students for the future. In order for a teacher the smartboard and how to work the
to do this effectively in the modern world, the
teacher must know themselves and teach
their students how to use technology. If
smart boards are used correctly, they give
students the background they require for
technology. The teachers can show students
several essential knowledge and lifelong
skills, including how to learn using
technology, that technology is a necessary
and effective tool for learning, and that
technology helps us complete work more

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technology, they are modeling and teaching Image Source:
their students how to properly use technology http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.js
in a positive and beneficial way. The teacher p?id=3755843
will then be showing to their students that
technology can be used to save the student learning fun.
and the teacher time and energy. The Smartboards can also be used for Preferred
smartboard has so many powerful lessons Activity Time. There are an
that can be taught to students when it is used incredible number of games that are available
in ways that engage the students. to play on a smartboard, and it makes the
lessons, that are taught through games,
There are several ways, and more immensely more interesting and engaging. It
coming, to engage the students while using makes these lessons more interesting and
an interactive whiteboard. Smartboards have engaging because instead of just having a
hands-on activities that can be used through a teacher lecture, the student gets to engage in
computer that a student can use to learn a the lesson. The smart board allows the
concept. When I was in sixth grade, we had teacher more flexibility with games. For
smartboards in both of my classes, and we example, with jeopardy the teacher can run
would use them to do hands on the game on the smart board. The Smartboard
learning. Often times we would take quizzes allows the teacher to interact with their
on the smartboard. My teacher had little students more. “With the SMART Board,
clickers that connected with the smartboard you can control any application through the
and we could play fun little review games touch board. So instead of working from
with the clickers. Using the clickers was behind the computer keyboard, you (or your
much more exciting than doing a worksheet, students) can be at the front of the classroom
or some other form of review or assessment. physically interacting with the display
We were also able to see which questions we (Kuroneko)
got right, how we did compared to our Using games and activities, such as those
classmates, the right answer, and we were described in these last two paragraphs, also
able to see so much more on the board. Each allows the students to engage and use the
of us had a number that our clicker was
assigned, so we knew our number and that
number was what was displayed on the
board. It was an effective way for us all to see
whether we got the question right or wrong
without having our names displayed on the
board for all our fellow classmates to
see. Another fun activity we would play on
the smartboards was done by dragging word
parts to where they fit into a sentence, or into
a chart. We played other activities like this.
Interactive whiteboards can be very
beneficial for learning, and they make

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technology directly in the classroom. This N. (n.d.). Pros & Cons of Using a Smartboard.
gives the students practice with technology, Retrieved March 25, 2018, from
which is really an important concept to learn https://www.techwalla.com/articles/pros-cons-of-
early on, especially in the world that we live using-a-smartboard
in today. This also allows the students to Wright, R. S. (2009, April 21). Interactive
learn in a new and exciting way, one that Whiteboards – The Pros and Cons. Retrieved March
breaks up the monotony of worksheets, and 25, 2018, from
written exams. Smartboards bring the https://simonandbec.wordpress.com/interactive-
classroom to life. whiteboards-the-pros-and-cons/
There are a few reasons why smart boards
wouldn’t be the best option for a teacher or a
school, but overall, they are very beneficial
and, if used correctly, they will give students
a head start into the world of
technology. “…the Interactive Whiteboards
are a powerful teaching tool for the teacher
and an excellent learning device for the
students. Although it has a few faults, the
good it does in a classroom quickly
outweighs the bad” (Wright). Smartboards
are a very good resource for teachers to have
and use in their classroom, and they should
take the time to learn how to run them
properly. The time required to learn how to
use this technology will be worth it in the
long run. It will save time in future years and
classes, and it will help students in more ways
than any teacher could imagine. Smartboards
are a great way for a teacher to model
learning and work with technology. In this
digital age that is an essential topic for any
classroom.

Works Cited
Brown, E. (2017, June 07). Pros and Cons of
Interactive Whiteboards. Retrieved March 25, 2018,
from https://www.eztalks.com/whiteboard/pros-and-
cons-of-interactive-whiteboards.html
Kuroneko, K. (2008, August 11). SMART Board -
Pros and Cons of Using a Digital, Interactive
Whiteboard (In the Classroom). Retrieved March 24,
2018, from http://ezinearticles.com/?SMART-Board--
-Pros-and-Cons-of-Using-a-Digital,-Interactive-
Whiteboard-(In-the-Classroom)&id=1399407

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Technology can empower students with disabilities to be successful.

Technology in the Special peers, can either be expensive or cheap, and
Education Classroom can empower students to be successful.
Technology can help students share their
By: Rachel Smith thoughts with their peers. According to
Teachers all around the world have wondered McCord, “Recent technologies mean you
what would help their student succeed in a don’t have to single kids out” (Locke). There
special education classroom. Technology are many technologies that allow students to
gives students with disabilities options to do stay in their seats or respond to things
things that they would not otherwise be able anonymously. For example, using a smart
to do. There are a lot of tools that can be used board in the classroom can be helpful for
to help students with disabilities. Assistive students who learn better by doing things and
technology empowers students with for those students who can’t come up to the
disabilities to be able to succeed. front, they can connect an iPad to the smart
board that allows them to stay in their seat.
There are other technologies where students
can text in their answers to questions
anonymously and the teacher can refer to
them throughout the lesson. This allows
students who are shy or unable to talk a
chance to participate in the lesson.

There are many types of technologies that can There are options for less expensive
help students with all kinds of different technology as well as options that can be
disabilities and challenges. Students in the more expensive. Technology in a classroom
classroom will all have different levels of can be anywhere from a smartboard to a set
abilities. Some examples of challenges faced of flashcards for a student to communicate
better. Some students just need minor
in a special education classroom are: assistance. For example, using flashcards
cognitive speech problems, when they can’t with pictures to show what they need or want.
use their legs, vision challenges, or disorders Sometimes students who struggle will need
with the brain (being able to keep up with the more expensive technology to help them to
class). “There is truly no limit to the ways be more successful in the classroom. Some of
teachers and students can adapt the the more expensive technology includes a
environment to suit a student’s needs . . . The
quantity and quality of content and mediums
available to teachers with modern, assistive
technologies can allow them to differentiate
learning intensively” (Superior). Technology
can help students share thoughts with their

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Dynavox or a Smartboard. I Dynavox is a come up with more and more ways that tech
communication device. It allows students can help students with special needs learn in
with cognitive speech disorders to a general classroom” (Locke).
communicate. A Smartboard is like an Teachers need to be flexible and willing to
interactive computer. It can be used like a work with their students. Technology in the
whiteboard or as a computer screen. “The use Special Education classroom is very
of technology in special education important and useful. Technology whether
classrooms is still in its infancy. As big or small helps to empower students with
developers see new markets for their disabilities to do amazing things. Every
technology and educators and specialists student is capable of being successful. Some
create new ideas that develop into hardware students need more help than others to be able
and software, the choices will grow. But, to accomplish what they need to in school and
there are currently many options to choose that is okay.
from and a simple search can produce a
number of ideas that can be employed in the Works Cited
classroom right away, with little investment”
(Room 241 team). Helping students does not Using Technology to Empower Students With Special
have to be expensive. Teachers need to be
creative and be able to come up with ideas to Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
help students be successful.
Technology can empower students with https://www.edutopia.org/article/empowering-
disabilities to be successful. The key is
knowing how to use it. For many students in special-education-students-technology-kathryn-
special education, they just need something
they can be interested in to get them going. nieves
“The concept of problem solving is tough for
special education students to grasp but 5 Ways to Use Technology in the Special Education
having them work on their own choice of
project helps unlock their ability to work Classroom. (2018, March 05). Retrieved March 27,
through challenges” (Nieves). Students with
disabilities can be just as successful as any 2018, from https://education.cu-
other student with the right tools. What are
the right tools? That depends on the student. portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/5-ways-to-
As teachers get to know their students, they
will be able to figure out how to help them in use-technology-in-the-special-education-classroom/
the best ways that they can. “Meet them
where they are – and help them use What Is the Role of Assistive Technology in Special
technology to make the most of their abilities
and build their futures” (Chris O). Some Education? (2017, June 08). Retrieved March 27,
students can learn in a general education
classroom with the use of technology and 2018, from
other accommodations as needed. As
technology is utilized more “… teachers will https://online.uwsuper.edu/articles/assistive-

technology-in-special-education.aspx

Humienny, S. (2018, March 13). Inside the Special

Education Classroom: How Tech Can Help Students

With Special Needs - EdSurge News. Retrieved March

27, 2018, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-

12-15-inside-the-special-education-classroom-how-

tech-can-help-special-needs-students

Locke, C. (2018, March 13). 'Bridging the Gap':

Technology in Special Education - EdSurge News.

Retrieved March 27, 2018, from

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-11-26-

bridging-the-gap-technology-in-special-education

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Igniting the Spark of “Using a projector, teachers can display
Learning and Creativity visual images on these white boards which
Through Technology improves the learning process. Students will
learn more easily with visual images”
By: Sarah King (Ramey, n.d.). Interactive whiteboards allow
With all the challenges educators face today, teachers to project their computer screen onto
“…facilitating learning and creativity in the the board, giving teachers a chance to design
classroom” presents itself as one of the most their lesson plan to cater not only the visual
difficult aspects of teaching (ISTE, n.d). Yet, learner, but also the audio learner. By
in this day and age, teachers are able to connecting the board to the internet, teachers
facilitate and inspire learning and creativity have access to a plethora of online materials
in their classrooms as never has been seen to present to the class during lessons such as
before. Discoveries in child development, music, videos, photos, games, websites, and
advances in classroom management, and in other educational programs (NEA, 2018). For
teacher education has contributed to this example, if an educator were teaching a
success. Yet, an even greater factor which lesson on the Polar ice caps, using an
plays into the ability to harness the power of interactive smart board, the class could
learning and creativity in both the teacher and engage in a virtual field trip to the north pole.
the students is the amount of learning Projected on the whiteboard could be photos
material that is available through the use of of the landscape and the animals which live
technology in education. By incorporating in the region accompanied by the different
diverse types of technology in lesson sounds each inhabitant makes. To further
instruction and in class activities, teachers are increase student engagement, teachers could
better able to “…[facilitate] learning and invite students to participate in the
creativity in the classroom” (ISTE, n.d). presentation by writing comments on the
board (NEA, 2018). The use of the smart
Image from avsystem.com au interactive whiteboard gives the teacher more
resources to draw from thus enabling them to
The first kind of technology teachers can employ more creativity in each lesson plan.
make use of in the classroom is “smart And he more creative a lesson plan is, the
interactive whiteboards” (Ramey, n.d.). more the students will learn.

Interactive whiteboards provide ways for not
only the teacher to be creative, but for
students to engage in the lesson and exercise
creativity. The whiteboard allows students to
put together creative presentations due of the
plethora of online resources the students will
have access to. During lessons, students can
create models, graphs and charts on the
board. With an interactive smart whiteboard
in the classroom, the possibilities for teachers
and students to model creativity are endless.

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The second kind of technology teachers can Image from securedgenenetworks.com
make use of in the classroom are iPads and
tablets. Five years ago, in 2013, Apple Another benefit to using iPads is that the
reported 10 million iPads were being used in teachers can personalize the content on an
classrooms throughout the world and the app to fit the needs of each student. With an
number is climbing (Wood, 2016). This iPad or tablet available to every student and a
statistic seems unreal, but when one quality educational program uploaded onto
considers all the benefits iPads bring to the each one, teachers can monitor the students’
classroom, the reason for large investments in progress and control the content each will
iPads are better understood. encounter.

The first benefit of using iPads is that these Kristi Meeuswe, a kindergarten teacher,
devices offer teachers diverse ways to make actively uses iPads in her classroom to do just
learning interactive and fun. With the that. Of her experience, Christina Tynan-
increase in the educational use of iPads and Wood reported, “The iPads allow Meeuswe
tablets has also come the increase in to personalize instruction for every child. If a
educational apps and programs that teach a student is struggling, she can let the iPad
variety of simple concepts through games offer repetition (through games, targeted
and activities. For example, there are apps reading, or apps) and if another needs to
allow young kindergarteners to practice their move faster, she directs him to a faster-paced
sight words by matching them, reading them, game or app” (Wood, 2016). By observing
and listening to them through vocal features. the progress of each student and making
Quizzes, that can be adjusted by the teacher, modifications when needed, the teacher is
record the progress of the students, and help able to help the student progress and truly
the teacher see where the student needs more learn the things he or she needs.
help (Schultz, 2012). Third and fourth
graders could practice their times tables on an Not only can teachers model creativity
app that uses repetitive challenges to help through using apps to further instruction,
them master their multiplication facts. teachers can prompt students to be creative
(Shultz, 2012). There are apps available to through the use of iPads. Teachers can assign
help students learn major events in history by various types of projects to students that can
displaying timelines, maps, and offering links be conducted and presented through the use
to appropriate websites that give greater of this device. Christina Tynan-Wood
insight into that time period (Shultz, 2012).
There are also apps and programs that cater
to higher grade levels. In districts that keep
tighter budgets, virtual science labs and
activities can save the school district
pecuniary resources while still allowing the
students to conduct a science experiment
(Khausmann, n.d.). By creatively using
interactive apps to teach, review, and explore
simple or complex concepts, students will be
able to better learn the things they are taught.

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recounted the behavior of students in a the ever-increasing amount of technology
classroom as they were assigned a project and making its way into education, teachers and
given an iPad as a resource. student can learn and exercise creativity as
has never been done before.
“[The students] are busy designing a movie
trailer to demonstrate what they’ve learned. References
With a rubric, a print copy of the book, and
an iPad in front of them, they draw, research, Khausmann. (n.d.). “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and
write, summarize, photograph, and cue music Creativity.” Teachingadream, Wordpress.com, 24 June 2013.
on the iPads… One boy holds up his iPad to
demonstrate a slick transition he created for Retrieved from teachingadream.wordpress.co
his credits. Another snaps a photo of the book
for an art montage, while a third finds a quote m/2013/06/24/facilitate-and-inspire-student-learning-and-
to illustrate a concept. Occasionally a student
asks [their teacher] for advice, but most seem creativity/
to have something to say and know exactly NEA Member Benefits. 2018. “Interactive Whiteboards Enhance
how to say it.” This anecdotal story is a
wonderful example of how students can be Classroom Instruction and Learning.” Interactive Whiteboards
creative when given an iPad to draw from.
Enhance Classroom Instruction and Learning | NEA Member
Interactive smart boards and personal iPads
are some of the many resources available to Benefits, NEA's Member Benefits Corp, 2018,
teachers to help their students learn. With this
technology and with many more, teachers www.neamb.com/professional-resources/benefits-of-interactive-
have the incredible opportunity to make
every single lesson a fun, creative, and whiteboards.htm.
engaging experience for their students. With Ramey, Karehka. 24 May 2013, “Types of Technology Used In The

Classroom. “Use of

Technology,Useoftechnology.com,www.useoftechnology.com/typ

es-technology-classroom/.
Schultz, John M. 13 May 2012 “Technology in the Elementary
Classroom: The iPad.”Technology in the Elementary Classroom:

The iPad, Blogger, 1 Jan. 1970, technology-in-elementary-

classrooms.blogspot.com/.
Tynan-Wood, Christina. 7 Mar. 2016 “IPads in the Classroom: the
Promise and the Problems.” GreatSchools!, GreatSchools.org,

www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/ipad-technology-in-the-

classroom/.
International Society for Technology in Education. n.d. “ISTE
Standards Teachers.” ISTE Standards, pp. 1–2.,

www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf.

About the Author

Sarah King is a Sophomore at Brigham
Young University-Idaho. She is studying
Elementary Education with an emphasis
in Language Arts.

13 | P a g e

Chromebooks in the There are well over 20 million students
Classroom. throughout the world that are currently using
a Chromebook with their education and being
By: Paige Bluemel successful in school. They are successful in
schools because they help students stay
Something that is often used by students and engaged and help students prepare for a
teachers in our schools today is a computer or career. Schools want to buy chrome books
a laptop. One type of laptop is called a because of how Google has apps that are able
Chromebook, which is a tool that a lot of to work with the means of education. Some
schools use to help students learn. Lori of these tools (or apps) that are used are
Bluemel taught at an elementary school in Gmail and Google docs, which docs, which
Colorado named Range View Elementary both are free to use for students. Michael
School and one of the tools that they had were Notar, a principal at Edgewood High School
chrome books. As this school used the located in Ashtabula, Ohio, explained, “Our
chrome books, the faculty noticed how much use of Chromebooks makes communication
the laptops were helping the students with with classroom teachers during instruction
their learning inside the classroom. time easier. Also, it aligns with what most
Chromebooks in the classroom are helping colleges are doing now.”
students to learn and develop several Tracy Gray, who works as an education
different sets of technological skills. These technology expert in the American Institutes
laptops help students to learn how to work in Research, has stated, “Schools should use
teams and problem solve with others that are technology to have students do things they
in the classroom. One of the purposes of otherwise wouldn't be able to do, whether
having chrome books in the classroom is to that's programming robots, creating
help students become knowledgeable citizens something with a 3-D printer or video
and skilled workers. Chromebooks help build conferencing with Nobel Prize-winning
knowledge and skilled workers by giving scientists.” Students throughout the nation
students more tools to learning science, math, have noticed how nice it is to have different
reference tools, etc. Now more than half the forms of technology to help them in their
nation’s schools are using chrome books or education. They help them expand their
other Google related products to help learning and technology gives them the tools
students improve their education. that they need to be more successful in all
they do.
Image from farm9.staticflickr.com As stated earlier, Lori’s school uses chrome
books in their classrooms. She has talked
14 | P a g e about how the school started using chrome
books to help the students learn. The students
loved using them and the school saw that the
chrome books helped the students in their
learning.
Chromebooks are also able to help students
do their schoolwork from home. When
students are sick, they can have a
Chromebook with them at home and use it to
work on any schoolwork or homework that
they need to do without having to worry

about the hassle of going into the school and help education become better than it is today.
getting homework from the teacher there. It They explained that using these tools could
is all on their computer from home. entitle the schools to four things when it
comes to helping the students in getting an
Image from farm6.staticflickr.com education. These four things are:
1. “Empowerment: helping teachers and
There was a high school in Fort Collins, students to discover a world of infinite
Colorado there was a student that couldn’t resources and enabling teachers to leverage
come into the school because of deathly those resources in the context of the
allergies this individual has. The school had classroom.
a robot that she could control at home and it 2. “Choice: being able to use the right device
had a webcam on it to see where she was at anytime, anywhere.
in the school. The webcam was able to allow 3. “Teamwork: providing the platform that
the student to see what the teachers were enables students, teachers and parents to
writing on the board so that she could take work in real time, anytime, anywhere.
any notes. 4. “Scalability: bringing in technology that’s
The teachers of this classmate of mine would affordable and easy to manage.”
send her emails of the homework or
classwork that we would do in class. They did If a teacher takes the time to teach their
this so that she could work on these things at students some of these things while they are
home. They also worked on sending (or young is going to help them when they get
giving) her the study guides and tests that she older. Technology like Chromebooks are
needed to take for the classes that she was in. only going to get more advanced as students
When she was done with those tests, get older.
worksheets, homework, and anything else, When I was on my LDS mission in
she would send it back to the teachers that she Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we were able to
had. She was able to do this because of the use iPads. Because of our access to working
usage of a computer. The computer was able with iPads, we were able to work closer
to allow her to go to school at home because together as missionaries and become a more
she was allergic to things that was dairy connected team. They helped us look at the
product related. lessons we could teach to the people we were
James Leonard and Donna Teuber wrote an working with in our areas. We were able to
article about how Chromebook (Google) can show visuals like pictures or maybe a video.
Chromebooks can give students a lot of the
15 | P a g e similar results and can push students to be
more successful by giving them access to
more information and it also helps students to
communicate and share information of what
they have learned.
James Leonard and Donna Tauber also
mention that they give help to teachers that
may need help learning how to use
Chromebooks or Google. Google send
coaches to help model for teachers in the
classroom to know how to work
Chromebooks (and other Google

technology). This helps teachers know how About the Author:
to better use technology so that when it is
time to help their students with the Paige Bluemel is a student attending Brigham
Chromebooks, they will be able to know Young University- Idaho. She is studying
what to do. Elementary Education with an emphasis in (
).
They continue to talk about how
teachers are starting to use more of
technology in the classroom to help students.
In a high school in Fort Collins, Colorado
they started given laptops to students to help
them with their education. In this school there
was a time when only freshman and
sophomores only had laptops. The following
year the freshman through juniors had
laptops in the school. But the following year
after that each class had a laptop.
This was to help the students more everyday
with their education. When I was in high
school I was able to see some of my teachers
take advantage of the technology that was
given to them. Technology helps benefit
others to learn better by giving them more
resources and tools to use in their
schoolwork.

References

Deluca, D. (2017). Ohio school district staff reports success with
Chromebook. Retrieved from http://www.centerdigitaled.com/k-
12/Ohio-School-District-Staff-Reports-Success-with-
Chromebooks.html
Porter, M. (2015). 7 reasons why your students need Chromebook.
Retrieved from http://blog.goguardian.com/7-reasons-why-your-
students-need-chromebooks
Singer, N. (2017, 13 May). How google took over the classroom.
New York Times (Online) Retrieved from https://sks-sirs-
com.byui.idm.oclc.org
Taketa, K. (2017, 13 Oct). Schools want students to learn from
laptops, tablets, and smartphones. St. Louis Post-DispatchRetrieved
from https://sks-sirs-com.byui.idm.oclc.org Going 1-to-1 with
google for education. (2014, Aug 1,). District Administration, 50,
74.

16 | P a g e

Have you ever wondered how schools use technology to help teach
your children? Ever wanted to know what type of technology is used?

How is technology helping my child be successful in school?
Come to Adams Elementary School on Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 6-
8pm. We will also have activities set up in the gym and snacks for the

kids during this time.

Come and learn more about how we are helping your children
be successful and further their knowledge in what they are
learning!

By: Paige Bluemel
17 | P a g e

Do you wish you could help your students
speak in class? Do you want to help your

students be successful?

Dynavox is the thing for you!

This is a great device that gives people with
cognitive speech disabilities the ability to
share their thoughts.

18 | P a g e

Teachers have found this method extremely helpful wituhpsiatveimngs and advice they have used and found

their time and using it more wisely successful. There are both pros and cons to

Teachers Pay Teachers: this method which will be explored in this
article.
Creating a Sense of First, the positives. Teachers have found this
method extremely helpful with saving their
Community Between Us time and using it more wisely. It is a well-
known fact that teachers don’t have a lot of
By Carrie Ashcraft spare time, and often spend what little extra
Years ago, no one ever imagined kids in time they have planning and preparing lesson
elementary schools would have their own plans or worrying about their students. With
computers or iPads for schoolwork. It was this method, teachers won’t have to spend so
never dreamed possible that assignments much time creating their own worksheet or
could be turned in online, not having to be coming up with ideas for games. It is all right
printed or written out. And when cell phones in front of them with tips on how to make it
first came out, society would have laughed at work. The hardest part is deciding what to use
students being able to use personal cell and what not to use.
phones in class. Our world has grown rapidly, Developing lesson plans can be time
and technology has been used to move consuming. One teacher could take half an
education forward faster and more efficiently hour to develop their lesson plan. Another
than ever before. However, technology teacher could need an hour to develop the
comes with certain warnings and potential same lesson plan. “Some teachers know how
dangers for the students who use it. With so to develop curriculum materials or can learn
many different voices pulling teachers’ quickly. And many, many others don’t”
attention, how does one know what to focus (Cummings). This resource helps those
on or think for themselves and their own teachers who need that extra help.
classrooms? When used properly, and with One great fact about Teachers Pay Teachers
safety procedures in place, technology can is that the curriculum and activities are all
help us to move our education to a new level written by teachers, not a company (Juliani).
of success never before dreamed possible. Teachers can also share their own ideas on
One teaching trend that has developed these websites. This helps the teacher help
incredibly fast in the last five years is how others, bringing the experience full circle. It
teachers have shared ideas with one another is the teacher’s choice when they post
through apps and websites, like Pinterest or something whether to make it free for others
Teachers Pay Teachers. It is a big topic right or to add a small fee (usually a couple dollars)
now. Their vision is, “to make the expertise for their colleagues to obtain the material. It
and wisdom of all the teachers in the world can be a good way for teachers to make a little
available to anyone, anywhere, at any time” extra money. Sharing original ideas with
(About Us). There are resources available to others helps to create a sense of community
teachers for free worksheets and ideas for with their fellow teachers and make it less of
games or lesson content. Teachers have put

19 | P a g e

a competition about who can have the best Activities are fun, but they are not the entire
classroom or who comes up with the best curriculum. They can seem like the biggest
ideas or who has the most fun. Parents can part of teaching, but the danger is that focus
also have access to these resources, so they can be taken away from the most important
will know where teachers are getting their parts, like assessing and making sure the
lesson plans and won’t be tempted to feel like students are learning and understanding what
they’re in the dark about what their child is they are being taught. Sometimes games and
learning. Sharing is caring, and with so many activities don’t provide the level of
teachers willingly giving what they have, assessment needed to determine the depth of
time can be better spent with each individual the student’s engagement and learning. Each
student instead of worrying about supplies student has their own speed they work at. The
and ideas. slower students can become frustrated that
they are not understanding or thinking as fast
Image Source: https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at- as their peers. Assessment and
Teachers-Pay-Teachers-EI_IE935687.11,32.htm accommodations are important parts that
cannot be forgotten in the thick of having fun.
However, there is a negative side to this Though the materials are cheap, the prices for
teaching style and using websites like these. each individual activity can accumulate if the
Sometimes, teachers can get so excited by teacher is not careful. They can end up
how much fun the students will have that they spending money that they do not have.
forget to plan for any problems or challenges Teachers already are not paid much for the
that could come up, especially for special amount of time and effort they put into their
needs students. Thousands of teachers career. Teachers should be forewarned to be
throughout the nation have special needs smart with how many activities they use in
students that present the requirement for a their classes and the accumulation of the
deeper level of commitment to lesson costs of each.
preparation. The temptation to not take the With the invention of the internet, though
time to plan is strong, especially for teachers incredibly helpful, plagiarism has become a
who don’t have any extra time and want to big problem in the world today. Some
use the time they have with their families or teachers are very flexible with their
friends. Plus, there could be some students in copyrights. Others only allow fellow teachers
the classroom with special needs that the to download PDF’s but not edit or change
lesson plan will not address. Without an eye them (Walthausen, 2016). There is the
for detail and care for the students, these temptation to take credit for the activities
students will be left behind. It is up to the someone else came up with, or to just not give
teacher to be responsible to take that into them credit. Plagiarism can be intentional and
account when creating these lesson plans. unintentional. Either way, it is important for
teachers to be honest if they are going to
20 | P a g e teach their students those same values in their
future writing.
Just as there is more than one way to bake a
cake, there is more than one way to teach. In
society today, technology has become a big

part of our everyday lives. It has made its way
into the classroom to help make learning
more effective and efficient. This happens
not only for the student, but also for the
teacher who is facilitating the learning. The
more tools teachers have, the more successful
they will be! And who doesn’t want to be
successful? Teachers Pay Teachers has
become an amazing source for inspiration
and a time-saver for teachers. When used in
the best way possible, it is a valuable resource
that cannot be overlooked. Teachers can use
it to create more of a positive connection
between their fellow peers and colleagues.
Everyone is all on the same team. Teaching
the next generation to learn from our
mistakes and to make the world a better place
is not an individual job, though it is done on
an individual level. Technology has and will
continue to take this nation one step higher
than it was yesterday.

Resources:

About us: Teachers Pay Teachers. Retrieved from

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/About-Us.

Cummings, M. Why Is This Marketplace for Teachers

to Sell Their Lesson Plans Thriving?. Retrieved from

http://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2015/06/03/tea

chers_pay_teachers_why_the_site_for_teachers_to_s

ell_their_lesson_plans.html.

Juliani, A. Why Teachers Pay Teachers Is Great for

Education. Retrieved from

http://ajjuliani.com/teachers-pay-teachers-great-

education/.

Walthausen, A. 2016. How the Internet Is

Complicating the Art of Teaching. Retrieved From

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/

10/how-the-internet-is-complicating-the-art-of-

teaching/505370/.

21 | P a g e

It’s important that schools and teachers keep their students up to date with both using technology and learning
about the modern technologies coming out.

Tablets instead of also have games uploaded onto them that can
Textbooks be very distracting for the students. Tablets
also require that the teachers and the students
By: Monica Yost are taught how to use them, which can use up
Should schools trade over from textbooks to a school districts precious money. Tablets
tablets? Are tablets beneficial or do they also require a lot of charging, and they
make a student’s life harder? Many schools require internet to perform certain functions.
are asking themselves these questions, they Both of these concerns could raise the
are trying to decide if tablets are something amount of money that schools would have to
they want to implement into their schools, or spend on electricity, and on an updated
if they should stick with the proven internet service. A school would need a great
textbooks. These schools are considering the internet service to allow all of that school’s
many pros and cons of using tablets in the students to be able to work on the internet.
classroom and using these tablets for the Possibly even all of the students on the
students’ homework. In a world where internet at once, depending on the teachers.
technology has become the norm should we They also provide students with more
start using more technology in the distractions that are in front of them all day
classrooms? Is this the only way to help long. These distractions can be in the form of
students become familiar with the materials their email, the internet, and various apps that
that they will be required to use in a future can be downloaded. Schools would have to
job, and in almost every aspect of this world? find a way to combat these distractions.
These are all extremely important questions There are some very valid concerns for
that each school district needs to having tablets in the classroom. However, do
consider. these reasons overshadow the good that these
tablets could provide to schools, teachers,
Image Source: http://octagoneducation.co.uk/news/tablets- and to the students?
vs-textbooks-for-learning.html There are many reasons why having tablets
instead of textbooks can be very beneficial to
There are some valid reasons to sticking with students. “Benefits of students using tablets
textbooks instead of using tablets. Tablets instead of textbooks are that they’re lighter
are easier to break than textbooks are, and it’s than print textbooks, can hold hundreds of
more expensive to replace a tablet than it books in one place, have the ability to expand
would be to replace one book. Tablets can memory to hold even more information, and
are cheaper than textbooks” (Álvarez). One
22 | P a g e of the reasons given in the quote above for
using tablets instead of textbooks is that
tablets are lighter. Something that has been
brought up many times by many different
people is the question of whether the amount
of weight that students carry in their
backpack is healthy for them, or detrimental
to their health. “According to an Apr. 2012
peer-reviewed study in Archives of Disease

in Childhood, the average weight of a future users. There are is also the advantage
student's backpack is 15.4 pounds (an of the textbooks being updated as events
average of 3-4 books) …Pediatricians and happen: “Well before the cleanup from
chiropractors recommend that students not Superstorm Sandy was in full swing, students
carry more than 15% of their body weight in could read about the weather system that
a backpack…” (ProCon.org). This same slammed the East Coast in their textbooks …
article also points mentions that there has Publishers update students' books almost
been an increased number of students going instantly with the latest events or research”
to hospitals for backpack related injuries. (Schools shift…). Students can learn about
With the amount of weight that students carry current events from their textbooks, where
in their backpacks on a daily basis, it’s as if before textbooks can sometimes be anywhere
they were carrying a small horse to school from five to ten years old. Students can learn
everyday. This provides a very valid reason from events happening now, and it’s
why schools should switch to tablets, because important for students to know what is going
tablets are much lighter than textbooks, so on in the world around them. This is one of
students would have much lighter the many benefits of having textbooks on a
backpacks. The health of the future is tablet as e-books, instead of the paper
essential, and schools and teachers should do textbooks.
their best to uphold this health. The world is continually changing how
things are done through the use of
Image Source: http://indiaeducationreview.com/wb-govt- technology. It’s important that schools and
take-steps-reduce-school-bag-weight-primary-students/ teachers keep their students up to date with
both using technology and learning about the
There have been many schools that have modern technologies coming out. This can
already started to work this into their be done by using tablets in the classrooms,
schools. For example: “As part of a pilot because it allows students to learn how to use
program, Roslyn High School on Long Island the tablets, but the tablets are also able to
handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the update the textbooks to modern events, and it
students and teachers in two humanities also allows the student access to the internet,
classes” (Hu). Some other school districts in so they can do research projects on changes
Texas, New York, and some other states have in technology. There as so many options
also started to try tablets in some of their provided by having tablets in the schools. It
classrooms. Some advantages that they are also makes research projects much easier,
finding is that students can write in the you don’t have to reserve a computer lab, or
textbook, without ruining the textbook for rotate which students can be on your
classroom computer. If students were to have
23 | P a g e tablets, they would each have their individual
computer to research and type on. Tablets
open up a whole new realm of possibilities
for the students and the teachers.
There are many factors to consider when
deciding whether to introduce tablets into a
school district or even into a

classroom. Teachers also need to be aware of Works Cited
the arguments, so they can determine to use Álvarez, B. (2016, July 16). As More Schools
the technology to its full advantage when Embrace Tablets, Do Textbooks Have a Fighting
their school implements tablets into the Chance? Retrieved March 24, 2018, from
classroom. Teachers need to use this http://neatoday.org/2013/07/31/as-more-schools-
technology properly, and the teachers should embrace-tablets-do-textbooks-have-a-fighting-
take the time to learn how to use this chance-2/
technology in their classroom, so that their Hu, W. (2011, January 04). Math That Moves: Schools
students are learning the subject material Embrace the iPad. Retrieved March 24, 2018, from
while also learning how to use the technology https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05ta
that will significantly improve their blets.html
future. This technology will greatly benefit ProCon.org. (2017, February 7). Tablets vs. Textbooks
the upcoming generation that will soon be the ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://tablets-
ones entering the workforce, and the ones textbooks.procon.org/
that will be representing their county to the Schools shift from textbooks to tablets. (2013, March
world. 06). Retrieved March 24, 2018, from
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/schools-shift-from-
textbooks-to-tablets/

24 | P a g e

Engage in Professional forward even at times when it may seem like
Growth and Leadership we may be falling back.

By: Paige Bluemel When I was in high school, I participated in
the marching band. My band teacher showed
According to dictionary.com, leadership an example of what a leader looks like. He
means “a person who guides or directs a also took the chance to teach us how to be
group.” Leadership is having the chance to leaders ourselves. He taught us to find ways
lead others in an activity that people are to grow as individuals and never be satisfied
involved in. For some people, leadership can with the work that you’ve done and to always
come easy, and for others leadership doesn’t find ways to improve.
come as easily and takes more effort and
work. D.A. Worcester mentioned in one of the
articles that he wrote, “There are many kinds
Frank L. Wright mentions in an article that he of leaders. We all need them.” Everyone
wrote, “The leader must be moving and must needs a leader. What would the world be like
know where he is going. Leadership is a if we only had followers and no leaders?
growth and not a product to be turned out.” A There would be no one willing to take control
leader must always be moving in a direction and help direct the followers into a direction.
that will allow themselves to grow as
individuals or else they will be staying in one Further along the article he continues to talk
spot. When leaders grow they are allowing about how a “leader is way ahead of his group
themselves to face any weakness that they when the leader advances to a new position
might have and use those weaknesses to and tries to bring others up with him (or her).”
become a stronger individual. They wouldn’t He also mentions how important it is to
be able to move forward at all if they didn’t encourage people to bring new ideas to the
look at what they needed to improve. group.

Image from farm5.staticflickr.com When I was in band, each section had a
“section leader” which was an individual
Teachers are going to have a lot of who helped focus on helping the section they
opportunities to take the chance to be a were in move forward and progress together
leader. There are going to be students that as a section. This person had to always be
will depend on them and follow them. ahead of what was going on so that they could
Teachers are going to always be finding ways help the rest of the section improve. If there
to be able to grow as teachers and leaders. As were things that we needed to improve on,
a teacher we can only help our students go my section leader always asked us if we had
any ideas of how we could improve as a
section. Not only that, but the section leader
always worked hard at making sure that the
whole section was receiving encouragement
throughout the season and they took time to
let each member know they were cared about.

On the Sweetwater Union High School
District website, it describes professional
growth as “a personalized, individualized
learning pathway that help each staff member
be their personal best.” Professional growth

25 | P a g e

is a way for all of us to become better in some be good at. He also takes the time to work on
kind of way and to help us grow, just like how being a leader at where he works at.
leadership is a way of helping us grow.
Because of how he has been able to work on
The website continues to talk about how these things and know what he is supposed to
professional growth helps people to be able do he has gotten several promotions. If he
to reach their goals. Setting goals as a future keeps trying and working on engaging his
teacher is important because it helps you have leadership and professional growth he will
something to work towards. When I was on continue to grow in his job and receive more
my LDS mission in Philadelphia, something promotions.
I had the chance to learn was how important
it is to set goals, find ways to reach those Profession Growth and Leadership go hand
goals, and reach the goals you have set. in hand with each other. Leadership talks
Because of that learning experience, I will be about how a person guides a group and is
able to use goal setting in my career. moving in one direction. Professional
Growth talks about how we focus on
Image from farm3.staticflickr.com individually working on improving and
setting goals to become better at what they
When a person works on a professional are doing. These go together because if you
growth, you are working on growing in the aren’t figuring out how to set goals and
career that you are in. It is helping you improve yourself, how do you expect to be
becoming a better educator and an individual able to step into a position where you are able
that can help your students more than the day to lead other people? When you are working
before. It is helping you to never be satisfied on professional growth you are helping
with your work and helping you to create yourself into becoming a leader to others
goals to work towards to be more successful. around you.

An individual named Trey Bluemel works for How can educators apply this? As an
the Federal Reserve in Kansas City, Missouri educator, you are going to be a leader in many
and he has been working there for a little over ways. You will also have days when you will
two years. While he has worked at the be looking at how you can professionally
Federal Reserve, he has gotten several grow. It's important to find those ways you
promotions. This is because of how he has can do these things. Leadership and
had the opportunity to work on his leadership professional growth applies so much to
skills and to also work on professional teachers because students can look at them as
growth. He finds things to set goals on and is leaders and teachers are always looking for a
willing to improve on things that he might not way to improve their teaching.

References

Wright L, F.Leadership.23(1), 3-4. Retrieved from
www.jstor.org/stable/20330821
Worcester, D. (1941). Leadership. The American Journal of
Nursing, 41(3), 280-284. doi:10.2307/3414789
Illingworth, A. (2016). Professional growth vs. professional
development. Retrieved from
professionalgrowth.sweetwaterschools.org/professional-growth-vs-
professional-development/.

26 | P a g e

Gamification: and technology fields have collaborated
An Effective Way to Engage seeking to use video and online games to
Your Students make learning fun in the classroom. Though
the thought of combining such elements
Courtesy of talenthq.com seems unlikely to be effective, this method of
engagement has proven successful in
By: Sarah King facilitating learning in a variety of ways,
When one attempts to explore the topics of aiding teachers, and students in their real-life
education and video games, it is easily quest to learn and to grow.
inferred that not only do they not relate with
one another, but they oppose each other. It is The process by which education and video
becoming more common to see students of all games are combined and used in the
ages avoiding homework and winnowing classroom is known by the term,
educational activities and opportunities to gamification. Yukai Chou, a gamification
dive into a virtual reality to complete a quest expert and international keynote speaker
that will aid the forces of good in an ongoing defined this as “…the craft of deriving all the
battle between the benevolent heroes and the fun and addicting elements found in games
belligerent villains. Education is merely seen and applying them to real world or productive
as a distraction rather than a worthwhile problems.” Volkswagen, an automotive
pursuit. On the opposite end of the spectrum, manufacturing company has understood that
students who study diligently, and seek to when mundane things are made fun and
develop their talents, pay little time to video engaging, the once negative connotation
and online games as they discover individuals harbored towards that task
satisfaction in changing the real live world. changed, which then lead to a change in their
Taking these things into consideration, one overall behavior when completing the
wouldn’t even associate these two topics with activity or task (Huang, 2013). The founders
each other, let alone combine them. Yet, this of gamification share this same view and
is exactly what is being done. The academic have realized that education can seem dry,
repetitive, and just plain boring, especially to
younger students. To help students
understand the application of certain
concepts and to enjoy learning and practicing
more tedious topics, founders and facilitators
of gamification have created apps and
programs that will reinforce the concept, and
to eventually instill a love for learning in each
student.

Gamification engages learners and enhances
learning in several ways. Video game
elements such as “… leveling up, badges,
eggs, and points (instead of grades) …” to
teach, practice, and review a classroom
concept (Terrell, 2015). Video and online

27 | P a g e

games are designed in such a way that the full type of game, whether it be individual or in a
focus and concentration of the player is group, can be determined by the teacher,
required for the participant to succeed in the which is another quality gamification
game. When academic concepts are possesses that becomes a penchant to
interwoven into an interactive game, the teachers looking for fun ways to teach a
player can practice that concept while feeling concept to their students (School Specialty,
the satisfaction of completing and moving 2017). Teachers can choose what type of
onto a new level, defeating an opposing activity their students will do and can monitor
force, and earning rewards. the progress of each student in the class.
Gamification programs allow teachers to go
Competition between players can also be a behind the scenes and choose what material
motivating factor to helping students master they want each student to focus on. If a
the information they are learning through the French teacher wanted their students to work
game. While discussing the topic of on vocabulary, the teacher could find a game
gamification and the effectiveness of it with on a program that would give the students
a peer, I learned the long-lasting impact practice with the words. The teacher would
gamification can have on one’s ability to then be able to monitor their progress
learn and retain material. throughout the independent practice. If a
particular student needs more contact with
Mckenna Swindle, a student at Brigham the words, the teacher can choose other
University- Idaho, shared an experience she course games that would allow the student to
had with gamification. In elementary school, work with the vocabulary (Team, 2013).
a teacher had the class practice their
multiplication facts by way of an online Using games to reinforce a classroom
game. The game used repetition, leveling up, concept is a fantastic way to engage students
and rewards to win the game. Swindle in learning an otherwise boring topic,
explained that she was one of those students however, to make sure students are truly
who loved competition, and her desire to learning and not just playing games, there are
know her multiplication facts better than any specific programs where gamification is used
other student in the class motivated her to enhance the learning experience.
dedication to score as high as she could on the Examples of such programs are Zondle,
game. In this effort to achieve first place Brainscape, and Knowre (Team, 2013). Each
came the mastery of her multiplication facts. of these programs has its own way of using
To this day, Swindle’s knowledge of the fun methods to help students learn
multiplication table is solidified because of curriculum.
this game.
Zondle is “… a web platform built for
Another aspect of video gaming that is used teachers to teach small kids by using [a]
in the gamification process is students have Game Based Learning environment…”
the chance to work in teams, collaborating to (Team, 2013). This program allows teachers
find an answer or solution to a problem posed to create a class account and register each
by the game, or they can work individually student for free. Through it, the teacher can
and against each other, motivated by the follow students’ progress, and can choose
competition between their fellow peers. This which game they would like the student to

28 | P a g e

play based on what they want to teach their collected, the teacher is notified concerning
students. Zondle uses child friendly which areas the student needs improvement
animations, and storylines which allows in. Then, the teacher and program can
younger students to practice a concept in a individually instruct and clarify through
fun atmosphere (Team, 2013). online lessons and games. Knowre goes
through each math concept step by step and
allows the student to learn at a pace that is
best for them (Team, 2013).

Image from slideshare.net Courtesy of graphite.org

Brainscape is an online program that helps There are so many diverse ways to facilitate
students memorize information through learning in the classroom, and many of these
repetition. First, teachers and students input ways occur through the use of technology. By
the information they are learning onto virtual using gamified programs, students learn,
notecards which becomes the game content. practice, and review concepts in a fun and
Next, Brainscape lets the student pick a style engaging way; teachers can find satisfaction
of game that is most compatible with their in the fact that their students are enjoying
learning style; once the student begins themselves while learning. Though there may
playing, the teacher can then track his or her be concern over the increasing use of
progress (Team, 2013). technology in the classroom, the benefits
accompanying its incorporation in lessons,
Image from ielanguages.com independent practice, and review have
proven to be an even greater asset to teachers
Knowre is web-based program that allows than was previously expected.
students to learn, practice, and review math
concepts. The start of this program is References
characterized by tests to decide the Team, Editorial. 11 May 2013, 7 Good Examples of Gamification
underlying knowledge students possess, in Education. EdTechReview, edtechreview.in/news/324-
seeking to understand where the students examples-gamification-in-education.
need the greatest help. Once the data is Terrell, Shelly Sanchez. 15 Oct. 2015, Stay on Top of Teaching
Trends with These 36 Hashtags.
Noodle. 2018, www.noodle.com/articles/stay-on-top-of-teaching-
trends-with-these-36-hashtags.
School Specialty. 17 Nov. 2017, The Importance of Gamification
in the Classroom. Schoolyard Blog |
Teacher Resources | School Specialty, School Specialty Inc,
blog.schoolspecialty.com/science/the-importance-of-gamification-
in-the-classroom/
Yuan Huang, Wendy Hsin, and Dilip Soman. 2013, A
Practitioner's Guide to Gamification.Ser 1. University of Toronto,
pp. 1–24, A Practitioner's Guide to Gamification.

29 | P a g e

Classroom Management capable of directing their own behavior.
By: Rachel Smith Thus, children are allowed to find their own
strengths, make choices for themselves, and
As teachers, it can be hard to keep accept the consequences of their choices”
your class engaged during the whole lesson. (Pereira). Student-Centered classrooms give
The key is how you manage your classroom. the class the responsibility instead of having
It is important to set the rules on the first day it all on the teacher. When students feel like
of class. It is important to have procedures their teacher cares about them, they will pay
stuck in place so that students will know what attention better.
is expected of them right from the start.
“Classroom management has traditionally Students are more likely to be
been teacher-centered, with the instructor in engaged in the classroom discussion.
front of the class, dictating to students what “Classes (not students), tend to model their
they need to know and how to behave. In teacher. If the teacher is hardworking, soft-
contrast, effective classroom management in spoken, and polite, the class tends to act in a
the 21st century calls for a shift to student- similar manner. Decide what you want your
centered approaches that place the student at class to be like and stick to that
the center of the learning experience” description…” (TEFL.net). It is important for
(Advancement Courses). When a classroom teachers to have a plan set in place for
is student-centered, the students will students and stick to that plan. Students will
understand more and be more likely to follow the teacher’s example. If the teacher is
engage in conversation, they will be willing engaged and likes what they are teaching, the
to ask more questions and be searchers of students will be engaged too. It is important
knowledge to learn how to think for to make it interesting for the class. If the
themselves. students are bored or not understanding what
is going on, they will not pay attention. The
Image Source: teacher needs to pay attention to their
https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&hl=en&as_q= students to make sure that they are
classrooms&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe understanding what is being taught and on
=images&tbs=sur:f#imgrc=tyaTsTy2OV4gfM: task.

“Teachers who are child centered In a fourth-grade classroom a teacher
focus on building empathy, responsibility, planned a lesson about making barometers.
and prosocial behaviors in children. In child- The teacher did not test whether or not the
centered classroom management, teachers barometers would work on foam cups. They
intentionally communicate to children that were made with balloons, usually on a jar,
they are fully accepted as they are and rubber bands, and some rubber cement. The
teacher started by passing out all of the
30 | P a g e supplies to the students and then proceeded to
teach them the first few steps. Those were
fine, just cutting pieces of straws and the ends
of the balloons. When we got to the part
where the balloon goes on the cup, they
didn’t fit. The students were getting restless
because the teacher didn’t have a backup plan

for them to make barometers that worked. place so that the class can be in control and
The teacher put together one on a glass jar on task.
and showed the students how it worked. The
students thought it was cool but did not want When the classroom is student
to pay attention any longer. While the teacher focused, the students will be willing to ask
was cleaning up the supplies, students started more questions and be seekers of knowledge
to pull out their rubber bands and shoot them to learn things for themselves. Students will
at each other. The teacher got them, all to sit be more interested in their education when
down and we cleaned up the classroom for they have the responsibility for their
recess. education and how the classroom runs placed
on them. The teacher needs to be careful that
Image Source: the students know they are still in charge, but
https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&hl=en&as_q= a student-centered classroom allows the
classrooms&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe students to have some responsibility and
=images&tbs=sur:f#imgrc=tyaTsTy2OV4gfM: some choice in how the classroom is run.

In this scenario, the teacher should Student-centered classrooms run
have made a backup plan so that the students more smoothly because the students feel that
would have something to do that would help responsibility. The student-centered
them to understand the lesson better and not classroom helps students to be more engaged
become restless. The teacher was able to in the class and in classroom discussions.
implement the classroom management plan This also allows more students to ask
to help the students be focused and on task. questions and learn to think for themselves to
gain more knowledge.
Having a classroom management
plan is very important. If the teacher seems References:
out of control, then the class will be out of Classroom Management Strategies for Student-
control too. When a teacher is unsure what to Centered Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27,
do, the students will take advantage of that. It 2018, from
is always important to have a backup plan in https://www.advancementcourses.com/courses/classr
oom-management-strategies-for-student-centered-
instruction/
Stone, I. (2015, April 12). Student Centered
Classroom Management. Retrieved March 27, 2018,
from https://www.slideshare.net/IanStone4/student-
centered-classroom-management-46898241
Helpful Student-Centered Classroom Management
Tips. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
https://www.tefl.net/elt/articles/teacher-
technique/helpful-student-centered-classroom-
management-tips/
Pereira, J. K. (2011). Child-Centered Classroom
Management [Abstract]. Child Centered Classroom
Management, 33(3), 254-264. Retrieved March 26,
2018, from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01626
620.2011.592111?journalCode=uate20.

31 | P a g e

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Teachers and
Technology

I've learned how caring, dedicated teachers make a different in
the lives of children

From the Perspective of the I’ve learned. I have learned to love the people
Secretary I work with by being of service to them. I
Debra Manning learned to be more efficient in my job by
using computer programs from my training.
Interviewed by Carrie Ashcraft
Q: What are some of the big and small
Debra Manning is a secretary at a special responsibilities of your job?
education district preschool for 3-5-year- A: Big responsibilities include taking care of
olds in Provo, Utah. Her valuable insights student registration, ordering supplies,
help us take a dive into what it is like helping the parents, making sure substitutes
working behind that front desk, a job most are requested, making sure our classroom
people don’t usually think first about when assistants' timesheets are in order before
discussing important jobs in a school. payday, reconciling the bank card statements,
Without these incredibly dedicated and paying purchase orders and supporting
secretaries, the school would not run as our administrator in his responsibilities.
effectively. Small responsibilities include calling
applicants for interviews when needed,
Q: What led you to the job you are at now? taking care of incoming and outgoing mail,
A: Our family needed a little help financially, putting supply orders away, cleaning the
so I started working 22 years ago as a workroom, and greeting parents when they
classroom aide in an elementary school. After come for meetings with teachers.
a couple of years, I became a lunch clerk in
the same elementary school. I entered the Image Source: https://www.amazon.com/School-Secretary-Solve-
lunch numbers as the students came through Problems-Understand/dp/B06XBCZ43Y
the cafeteria line and did the financial entries
daily. I became an office aid during that same Q: How has being in a job in education
time. After 4 years at the elementary school, blessed your life?
a position for the receptionist at the school A: Our school is a happy place to work. I get
district office was posted and I was hired. to see the children everyday as they come and
After 8 1/2 years, I was hired as an assistant go and frequently see the progress they make
to the secretary of the District Assistant in their special education goals. We have over
Superintendent. Two years later I was hired
in my current job as the district preschool
secretary. I've been at the preschool for
almost 9 years.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a
secretary? And what have you learned from
it?
A: I really enjoy working with our dedicated
preschool teachers. Interacting with the
teachers and learning to work with
technology and the computers are two things

33 | P a g e

200 students, so I'm not privy to their specific
goals, but I've seen many who have learned
to communicate better and even learned how
to function in spite of their physical and/or
mental disabilities.
Q: What have you learned from working in
this position?
A: I've learned how caring, dedicated
teachers make a different in the lives of
children. My role has been supportive and
rewarding. I've also learned a lot about using
a computer and other technology that I may
not have had the opportunity to learn.

34 | P a g e

What I like about technology is not the technology itself, but how it improves and facilitates learning.

The Perspective of a Q. How does technology improve your
Professor of History at classroom?
BYU-I A. Technology improves my classroom
Tyson Yost because, like I said before, it allows me to
have a highly repetitive but low stakes way to
Interviewed by Monica Yost constantly review the material with my
students. Technology helps keep my students
Using technology in the classroom is an on task and encourages my students to
essential skill to model in a classroom. The prepare. The students don’t feel like deer in
world we live in is run by technology, and in the headlights due to a high stakes assessment
the current workforce technology is used all that brings added stress, but they are still able
the time for almost everything. To to review the material that they have learned.
understand how to better model this skill in I allow my students to use notes on the I-
a classroom I had the opportunity to Clicker quizzes. This encourages my students
interview my Uncle who is a BYU-Idaho to prepare beforehand and take notes, and I
Professor who used many different types of hope this gives them opportunity and
technology in his classroom. I also strived incentive to develop and improve reading and
to understand how my uncle views teaching, note taking skills. What I like about
because I want to understand the pros and technology is not the technology itself, but
cons of teaching and technology from many how it improves and facilitates learning. It
different points of view. allows me to vary the content that I present
and share and improves class time by helping
Q. How do you implement technology in to keep my students attentive and engaged.
your classroom?
A. In terms of teaching, the two primary Q. How does technology hinder your class?
things that I use are PowerPoint and the I- A. I dislike how finicky technology can be.
Clicker App. I use PowerPoint because it Sometimes technology just doesn’t work. It’s
helps guide the students along the main hard when you plan your whole lesson
points of the lesson and lets me easily add around the technology and then it doesn’t
audio and visual to my lesson. The audio and work, and you have to re-plan you whole
visual aspect helps keep the students lesson on your feet. I also don’t like how
engaged. I use the I-Clicker App because it is much time I lose to technology. I-Clicker
a high repetition, low stakes way of keeping quizzes take away time from other class
students on task. I teach high content classes, activities. I lose at least ten minutes to the
and the I-Clicker gives me a quick way to students finding and answering questions
review and reinforce the material we are with the I-Clickers. I lament losing that class
covering. As an added bonus, the I-Clicker time, but the good outweighs the bad so I
App saves the questions that I ask, and then keep doing it. I also don’t like the extra work
students can go back and use the questions that I have to put into my prep time to make
and answers as a study guide. Since using it, the technology resources that I use in my
I have found that exam scores have increased classroom, like the PowerPoints and the I-
and there seems to be an increase in retention.

35 | P a g e

Clicker Quizzes. However, with technology, as part of the University that takes time away
generally the pros outweigh the cons. from teaching and working with students.

Q. What is your favorite part about
teaching?
A. I make a distinction between the act of
teaching and being a teacher. One is about
what I do in the classroom; the other with
preparing to be in the classroom. With
teaching itself I love interacting with people
and sharing ideas and seeing the light bulb go
on. I love seeing the curiosity and excitement
for learning evolve over time with the
students on topics that they would never have
thought they enjoyed so much. I love the
energy that comes when interacting with
students, the energy that comes when
students are getting what I’m teaching and
asking questions. Education is very
important. I believe that it is arguably the
most important thing that we do in this life.
My favorite part of being a teacher is that I
get to keep learning. I get to read and teach
students what I am learning, and what I have
learned. I always tell my students that I love
teaching because I get to read and learn more,
and then come to class and share what I have
learned with my students.

Q. What is your least favorite part of
teaching?
A. With teaching itself I don’t enjoy grading
and assessments. I don’t like the stress and
the burden that both my students and I feel
from them. It’s distracting to the actual
teaching itself, but they are a necessary evil.
I wish I could trust that my students would
still come prepared to learn without the
quizzes and exams, but I’ve learned from
experience that they usually don’t. With
being a teacher, I don’t like the institutional
obstacles, the things that I’m required to do

36 | P a g e

If you start out by training the kids to live up to your expectations and you
are very consistent, the kids and you will have a great year.

Classroom Instructor talk to kids and to help them learn. I’ve been
Becky Smith less judgmental of kids that struggle and of
people in general. I have learned a whole lot
Interviewed by Rachel Smith about people and about the importance of
education. I have learned that there are many
Mrs. Smith has worked as a teacher’s aide different types of good kids. I have become
for 3 years in American Fork, Utah. She more confident in myself as well.
gives a unique perspective on how the
classroom works and things that happen Q: What do you think about having
behind the scenes. technology in the classroom?
A: I think, given the world that we live in, that
Q: Why did you decide to work in the technology is vital. Children need to know
classroom? how to easily use a computer. They need to
A: I don’t really know the answer to this be able to type and to look up information.
question. There are probably multiple There is so much information available to
reasons. both teachers and students. I think without an
First, I had a bad experience in 1st grade that understanding of technology, students will be
got put on my ‘permanent record’. I was handicapped. Things like Elmo’s and
labeled a bad kid and had a miserable time in projectors really make it easier for teachers as
school until I hated it. In fifth grade I finally well. So long as they are not overused, videos
had a teacher who decided to overlook what and other things give children glimpse into
the other teachers said about me. She helped worlds and places they would never be able
me learn that I was smart and worthwhile. I to see in reality. That said, technology needs
consider her to be one of my heroes. I felt like to be used wisely. Children still need to be
she changed my life and I decided that able to write and read. They need to know
someday I wanted to work with kids because how to use books and how to work and grow
of her. in understanding without the use of
Second, after my own kids started going to technology as well.
school, my oldest son had a bad experience
with a teacher in first grade and I decided at Q: What is your current position in school?
that point that I was going to be a very A: Right now, I am an instructor. (Basically,
involved parent. I did not want any of my I am a teacher’s aide.) I help 2 classes of fifth
children to have an experience like I had. I graders however the teachers in those classes
started volunteering/working in the school need.
then. I have spent many years and hundreds
of hours in the schools. Q: What have you learned from that?
A: I have learned a lot. It has been really good
Q: How has that helped you? to see the different teaching styles and
A: It has changed who I am. I have met many discipline styles of the teachers. I have
wonderful students, teachers and other school learned so many things I would implement if
employees. I have learned how to help my I was ever in charge of a classroom.
own kids. I have learned a lot about how the
school systems work. I have learned how to

37 | P a g e

Q: How do you implement learning and correct most of the essays the kids turn in and
creativity in the classroom? help them improve their writing. I walk
A: At the school I work in, they don’t have around the classrooms and answer questions.
dedicated time for art. Some of the teachers I read with struggling readers to help them
have incorporated art into assignments for improve. I also am a recess monitor which is
other subjects. For example, when they have harder than it might seem. Sometimes kids
learned about the Inca, Aztec, and Mayan need someone to listen to them and the
cultures, they have made pyramids out of teacher doesn’t have time. They then talk to
clay and Aztec masks out of paper machè: me at recess. I think it’s a pretty big
They had to make ‘American Revolution’ responsibility.
quilt blocks and paint pictures depicting
different aspects of the civil war time period. Q: What advice do you have for someone
They have also made sarcophagus models for heading into the field of education?
world history. The fourth graders spent a A: It is a great field to be in. I don’t know
couple of months writing scripts and making what to say. With kids a lot of times you get
scenery for an opera that they performed for what you expect to get. If you expect them to
the school depicting parts of Utah history. It do well and to work hard, most of them will
turned out amazing. They used the opera to rise to the challenge. Be patient with the kids
help teach history, writing, music, and art. and with yourself. Set clear expectations right
For science, the teachers attended a training at the front. With discipline-decide how
which gave them access to different much noise/etc. you are willing to deal with,
chemicals and scientific experiments. The and then become about twice as strict as you
kids have had a lot of fun learning how to think you need to be to achieve that level. If
work with those. Also, a few times a year you start out by training the kids to live up to
parents come in and do an ‘experience’ for your expectations and you are very
the kids. One example of this is last year, a consistent, the kids and you will have a great
group of parents created a simulation of Ellis year. Give the kids responsibilities. It really
Island to help the children understand helps in the classroom. Love the kids.
immigration. They had a ton of fun with that.
I saw the 2nd graders put on a Bug Museum.
They had to use whatever materials they
wished for and create a bug model. They then
did a poster about their bug and displayed
it/talked about it at a school presentation-
similar to the science fair.

Q: What are some of your responsibilities?
Are they big or small?
A: Right now, I help kids that are struggling.
I do a lot of reading instruction and
reteaching. If someone fails a test, I will take
them out and go over the test one on one with
them to see what they didn’t understand. I

38 | P a g e

Lori Bluemel and Her admired, including an aunt, but it really came
Passion for Teaching! down to me loving the work and the
children.
Image from flickr.com
Q. What was been your favorite part about
By: Paige Bluemel being a teacher? What were some of the
rewards?
I had the opportunity to interview Lori
Bluemel who has been involved with A. My students’ success has been my
education for around 20 years. She was able greatest reward – in my classroom and
to teach in an elementary school for over 15 beyond. Seeing my students succeed or fail
years. She taught 5th grade for several years then persevere after a failure has been
then taught 3rd grade after that. Lori started extremely rewarding.
her career teaching at Park Elementary in
Casper, Wyoming. Then she worked at Q. What did you do to help students to
Mountain View Elementary School in become successful in their learning?
Windsor, Colorado for a couple of years.
After working at Mountain View, she worked A. I created a safe environment for asking
at Range View Elementary School in questions, for exploration and for learning.
Severance, Colorado. Lori and her husband Everything my students said and did was
moved to Arizona about two years ago and important to me and they knew it. I developed
she was given a new opportunity to work for a strong bond with them and they knew I
a company called the Math Learning Center. wanted them to succeed as a student and as
an individual, not only in my classroom but
The transcript of the interview is recorded in the future. I loved them!
below:
Q. How did you get students to think outside
Q. What influenced you to become an the box (to expand their thinking)?
educator?
A. I welcomed and encouraged questions and
A. I loved teaching and I loved children, so wonderings. Then I didn’t answer the
going into education was a natural course for questions. I taught my students how to find
me to take. There were several teachers I answers – where to look, how to ask, what to
look for. I did this through my questioning. I
was more of a facilitator or a guide to my
student’s thinking rather than an
encyclopedia giving them all of the answers.

Q. Do you keep in contact with any of the
students that you had taught throughout your
teaching career?

A. I am in contact with many of my students
via email and social media. We don’t talk
often but it’s always a bright spot in my day
when I hear from them.

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“I welcomed and encouraged Q. If you had the opportunity to go back to
questions and wonderings. Then, I teaching would you take that opportunity?
didn’t answer the questions. I taught
my students how to find answers …” A. At this point in my career, I know how
important those you work for
Q. What is the name of the company you work (admin/principle) and the materials
for now? What do you do for this company? (curriculum) you use are even more
important than the salary. If those
A. “I work for the Math Learning center as a requirements were right and I was ready for a
curriculum Specialist. I provide professional change, I would go back to the classroom.
development concerning mathematics with However, I still teach. The difference is my
visual models, problem solving and students are all ages now – from 3 to 60+, and
conceptual as well as procedural they live all across this nation with some in
understanding. I model lessons using South America. In many ways, I’m having a
mathematics and problem solving in a math greater impact on more people than I ever did
workshop framework in elementary in my classroom with 25 students.
classrooms, PreK through grade 5. I conduct
webinars highlighting many different Q. What advice would you give to future
mathematical topics, present workshops at teachers?
national conferences such as NCTM and
NAEYC, train teachers concerning CCSS A. Take every opportunity to learn from
standards and our curriculum, create videos practicing and experienced teachers. Spend
to train teachers, facilitate and online extra time in the classroom outside your
mathematical course and more.” practicum. Watch teachers carefully take
notes, learn from them as you observe and
Q. What do you do now to help students? gain as much pre-teaching experience as you
can through your observations. Ask
A. I work with teachers and students across questions, even if you feel like it’s a silly
the country and even internationally as they question, ask it. Record the answers you get
develop a deeper mathematical and all of your observations. So much
understanding, thinking and ability. I happens in a classroom all of the time,
encourage a growth mindset in that therefore getting any experience you can
everybody can be successful. through your practicums, personal
observations and personal visits will be an
Q. What made you take the job you currently incredible advantage for you.
have now?
“Take every opportunity to
A. I had worked for the Math Learning
Center for several summers and when my learn from practicing and
spouse’s position was transferred to another experienced teachers.”
state, MLC offered me a full-time position.
After looking into the schools, the curriculum
and the state of affairs in the new state, I
decided to step outside the classroom after
nearly 20 years and work for MLC.

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From the Eyes of One Who “Creativity is the ability to
Knows: A Professional
Perspective take any kind of topic and
make it your own.”
By: Sarah King
learning grows. For others, the higher the
Facilitating student learning and creativity level of learning they’re on, the more creative
through technology is a challenge and they are because they have more information
responsibility each teacher is given the to pull from. Take great artists for example;
moment he or she enters the education Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. People say they
profession. For teachers in training, a vital had a natural ability, and they did, but they
asset to discovering the most effective went to a school and learned techniques.
methods and techniques to accomplish this is When they mastered those techniques, they
by learning from senior teachers and mentors. came up with their own techniques and they
To learn more about the role creativity and went from there. That is what we need to do
technology play in the classroom, I as teachers. We need to equip our students
interviewed Tammy Gee, an experienced with basic knowledge and skills because
educator who currently teaches kindergarten having those basic skills will provide a way
at Central Elementary. for students to modify those techniques and
make them their own.
The manuscript of the interview is as follows:
Q. What methods and techniques do you use
Q. How would you define creativity? to facilitate student learning and creativity in
your classroom?
A. Creativity is the ability to take any kind
of topic and make it your own. We normally A. In my classroom, I do centers, and in those
associate creativity with art, but creativity is centers, we do different things. Sometimes
found in a lot of different ways. It can be we do a cutting page where we are building a
found in reading, in writing, in speaking and sight word and they have to cut out the letters
in listening. Creativity can come in and put the letters in order. The next day they
answering questions, being able to stay on a might roll the word. They would have some
topic, and explain things well. Creativity can wooden dice and they would roll the dice, and
also manifest itself in what students choose to then write that sight word down. Other times
read and write.” I will do sight word cups. I take 3-ounce cups,
write a sight word on it, and then I put
Q. What are the connections between goldfish under some of the cups. Then, they
learning and creativity? read the word on the cup, pick up the cup, and
if there are goldfish under the cup, they get
A. When a teacher teaches, and they don’t use the goldfish. I also use chants, and as we say
creativity or find different methods to teach chants to learn letters or words, over time,
things, then children don’t become creative students will go from those basic chants to
and they won’t understand the connection knowing more advanced words and phrases.
between learning and creativity. Learning I also think another way teachers can help
and creativity work together. For some kids, students be creative is be letting them choose
the more creative they are, the more their

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things. For example, I can say, “We need to Q. What are some of the downfalls of having
practice our sight words. How should we do technology in the classroom?
it?” Then you list off three choices. This lets
students be creative, and often times in letting A. One of the main downfalls is that kids
them choose, students will go to the method aren’t mastering specific knowledge that they
they like best, so it helps them to learn better. should master. They say, I don’t have to
For a teacher, there are a million different worry about remembering it because I can
things that you can do to facilitate learning. just google it. Sometimes when you’re in a
And as you use different things, in my conversation, having that background
opinion, you are able to better facilitate knowledge is really more important. And
creativity. also, because of technology, information can
become so skewed and if you get on the
Q. Do you incorporate technology in your wrong site that gives you false information,
methods to facilitate creativity and learning? without having a background knowledge to
make a proper judgement, your judgements
A. Yes. We currently use iPads in our can be off, and that concerns me. Another
kindergarten. I am fairly specific in the apps thing that concerns me is that our students
that I let them use because I want them to use don’t read enough. They don’t read good
learning apps so that they gain something books to find the information, they just refer
from them. I use a projector and we can watch to the internet. A lot of students don’t know
YouTube videos of letters. We can also how to read for information and that is a scary
watch videos to help with other lessons. One part of technology in schools. They don’t
time we read a story about an armadillo in an search out the correct information, they
orange grove. That’s not something kids in search out the easy information.
our neck of the west will understand because
we don’t have any orange groves. So, I was Q. Are there any other additional
able to show a short PBS science film on technologies that you use in your classroom?
what an orange grove looks like. That was
really helpful to the kids. Technology is a A. Yes. We just got document cameras where
great asset to teachers because it provides the we can put the document under the camera
kids with an understanding that they and it projects it up on the screen. Sometimes
wouldn’t otherwise have. So, I can use the I will take my phone out and show them little
technology to help students learn. I do think pictures. The projector is good to use, but I
that children get enough screen time at home, have to hook it up to my computer, and it
so I try to find different ways to teach things takes a long time to set it up, so it’s easier to
besides reverting to technology. That’s how I use my phone. So, those are some other
feel about incorporating technology into my technologies the main things that I use.
methods.

“Technology is a great asset to teachers because it

provides the kids with an understanding that they
wouldn’t otherwise have.”

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Do you wish you had more time?
Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to

have someone else plan activities for you?

TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS

www.teacherspayteachers.com

Image Source: : http://education.byu.edu/alumni/teach-admin/tech-tips/teachers-pay-teachers

Image Source:
http://talkswithteachers.com/getting-started-
teachers-pay-teachers/

43 | P a g e Image Source: https://u.osu.edu/hurst.155/2014/02/25/teachers-pay-
teachers/

Carrie Ashcraft

44 | P a g e Image Source: https://teach.com/blog/top-10-ipad-apps-for-teachers/

Back cover Image Source: http://neatoday.org/2015/06/12/how-teachers-
stay-creative-in-the-high-stakes-testing-era/

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