Coffee, Teach, Grade, Repeat!

Active Learning: A School Year in Six Words Summing up a school year in 6 words is challenging yet engaging! My group and I examined an active learning assignment done by students at Coonley School. Students from first to seventh grade were asked to sum up their school year in a six word Memoir. The  students were provided were the following prompts... Tell something you like about Coonley What activity did you really enjoy this school year? Write about yourself Give advice to others The students then used Google slides to share their memoir. Some inserted pictures or drawing they thought tied well with their memoir. This is active learning because it engaged students in deep thinking rather than surface learning. It promotes higher order thinking skills. The students had to analyze their school year and create their memoir.  (Image Source: Padlet) We started our Padlet our with a summary of the activity. Then we listed the active learning traits displa...

Mapping Digital Spaces Have you ever wondered where you spend most of your time digitally and how that relates to your daily life? We choose who, what, when, where, why and how we want to interact daily, especially in any digital media space. David White created a map (Visitor-Resident) that will help you plot the apps/digital media you use to analyze how you are using it.  What Is Digital Mapping  Visitors and Residents are the names David created for two of the four quadrants that describe our interactions and digital engagement based on motivation and interest. The graph is broken up into four quadrants; visitor, resident, personal, and professional.  Visitor- you utilize the Internet, apps, or any digital media as a collection of tools. You use it for what you need to do and are done. If it is considered "visitor" it leaves no social trace and you have defined goals. Resident- you utilized the Internet, apps, or any digital media as a network of "pl...

Personalized Learning   Personalized Learning Explained in 2 Minutes Video Source: Ed Cause  Below is my Video Presentation on Personalized Learning  My Presentation On Personalized Learning My Resources  All you need to Know about Personalized Learning Personalized Learning Explainer What Personalized Learning looks like 5 Key Elements of PL Pros and Cons More Resources on Personalized Learning  Personalized Learning Personalized Learning: A student Centered Approach for Success Turn your classroom into a personalized learning environment personalized-learning 5-personalized-learning-strategies-teachers-need-know Image Source: Making Learning Personal 

SAMR MODEL       Image Source: (CPS Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Digital Learning (CIDL) Dr. Ruben Puentedura created the SAMR model as a way for teachers to evaluate how they are incorporating technology into their instructional practice.    I chose to use SAMR model because CPS is incorporating it for teachers to evaluate their technology integration too.  The SAMR model is broken up into four components and can be viewed as moving up a ladder .  The image above explains each step of the ladder.  Substitution is the first step. It is when technology acts as a direct substitute, with no functional change. Augmentation is the second step. It is when technology acts as a direct substitute, with functional improvement.  Modification is the third step. It is when technology allows for significant task redesign.  Redefinition is the fourth and final step. It is when technology allows for th...

WELCOME My name is Amelia Arce-Alamo and I am a 5th grade math teacher at a Chicago Public School. This is my 7th year teaching and my 4th year teaching 5th grade Math. I previously taught 7/8th grade Science for 3 years. I also just graduated with my Masters degree in Education this past Sunday! Every year I learn new methods to teaching and I become more, and more passionate about my career.  I am also a wife and a mother. I have a 2 year old daughter. I have two siblings, a brother and a sister and two nieces who I spend a lot of time with. Along with that I have a ton of cousins. I am a very family oriented person. My hobbies are spending time with my family, traveling, shopping, cooking, concerts, and anything else that includes music! We love being outside, especially in the summer. On a summer day, you can find me hanging with my family at a pool, museum, park, or just enjoying the sun in our backyard. Below is a picture of our family trip to St. Cr...