momgineer

The nice thing about school vacation weeks is that a lot of our homeschooling classes are on break too. These weeks are so important for us as introverts to recharge our batteries and reconnect with each other. It's also just nice to be HOME! So what did we do? Well on Sunday, we did something unusual for us. We went to Monster Jam. Of course the kids were underwhelmed, but it was better than some other "new experiences" we have tried. They always enjoy watching a YouTube video or two about Monster Jam but it was very showy and gimmicky...and not nearly enough time seeing the trucks. When we did see the trucks, it seemed like most of them broke down before doing much of anything. D'oh!

There was a lot of imaginative play going on, generally involving the beloved Angry Birds. I know they aren't as popular now as a few years ago, but you'd never know that if you were in my house! Both my 7 and 9 yos play with these little figures (and we have an obscene number of them), but the characters all have their own habits, likes and dislikes, and true personalities. It's great, and just this morning big brother tricked little brother into playing Equate by using the Angry Birds as the players. Haha, go math nerds! In addition to playing Equate and actually cracking open a math book once (highly unusual over here, even though both my kids love math), we played with Montessori square beads and Playstix to work on multiplication facts.

We also did some directed drawing on YouTube (Minecraft inspired, top left) and digital learning (bottom left)! I am so excited to start creating more digital interactive learning resources. I HATE making copies, printing, wasting paper, and so on, and although I worry a bit about too much screen time, it's just too nice to use digital learning resources. Plus, the screen time doesn't bother me as much if it's just text on a screen or not continuously changing/flashing/blinking sights and sounds of video games.

Yay February vacation week for homeschoolers! I know this is a regional thing but it's been a pretty good week around here for reconnecting.

Digital Learning Day --Why Should You Try Something New? Because Your Students Will Thank You.

My students thank me all the time for the new “stuff” we are doing this year. Go ahead--take the plunge! Believe me, if you have access to any sort of technology (even one device), then do it. That one tablet or laptop can open up a window to a universe of instructional opportunities. Your students will want to get to that tech center.

Digital Learning Day is ultimately about bringing equal opportunity to our classrooms, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. It is about the importance of having access to Wi-Fi and up-to-date technology in our schools. Many schools have technology that is not working or that is out-of-date. State and local governments are now focusing on getting it all fixed so that our school children can succeed in the 21^st century.

Here's the challenge: try a new lesson that focuses on discovery, analysis, and exploration. Give your students the gift of a new opportunity by using Google Classroom, MS OneDrive, or an App. And don’t forget to share what you are doing in your classroom on social media to celebrate Digital Learning Day with #futureready. To help you get started, we’ve teamed up to share an amazing selection of blog posts and classroom activities that are designed to propel you and your students into your digital learning adventure.