We have all had "that teacher", the one who can reach down deep and come up with something great that will inspire us beyond what we thought we were capable of. While meeting the staff at Los Osos High School, and at all sites within CJUHSD, we have had the opportunity to see many of those people. Meeting Mr. Rich Morales, however, was a treat in and of itself. He introduced himself very humbly, then proceeded to show up the amazing things that he is doing with an iPad (and technology, in general) in his classroom. I had the pleasure of sitting in on first period today in Mr. Morales' class. You know first period, the one that starts slowly, kids forgetting pencils, paper, etc.? Not in Mr. Morales' room. As soon as the bell rang, the Grizzlies of LOHS were locked in and ready to go. He was discussing previous work assigned, which was to find a news article about something happening around the world and prepare to translate it. After checking for completion, he began the discussion. It wasn't a projection of information; rather, it was a conversation with the students about the current events and how they could be described. Next up was a little support from the ol' YouTube database. This was a video created by students that Mr. Morales had found while trying to find ways to enhance his instruction: You see, Mr. Morales has been using technology to enhance instruction long before we had the new computers, and much further back than when we rolled out iPads. Technology is nothing new to him and is certainly nothing new to his instructional practices. Proof of this came when we were meeting for the first time and he was telling us about how he had created music videos for content that would be easier for his students to study. We've all seen the student-created videos (like the one above) and they have some value in a classroom. However, hearing the material from the instructor has its benefits. Using Doceri, iMovie, and a whole lot of patience and innovation, Mr. Morales has put together a rap video to help his students with some of the particular elements of Spanish. WARNING: This is pretty awesome. WARNING 2: This is pretty advanced! The final portion of the class, Mr. Morales was using Doceri on his iPad to show parts of Fukushima, the area that was destroyed by a devastating tsunami, flooding, and a myriad of other problems in 2011. Finding images to bring meaning to the conversation was crucial and necessary, as the students who were in the room gained steam with each image that was on the screen. Before ending class, students shared out the Spanish version of their news story that related to Fukushima and class concluded.
Thank you to Mr. Morales for allowing an open door into his classroom of creativity and thank you to all teachers who are pushing the limits of technology and instruction in their classrooms. If you would like to identify someone (even yourself) for the Teacher Spotlight in CJUHSD, please let us know. We are trying to showcase as many great teachers as we can! John
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Go onto the campus of Montclair High School and you will see some new and very impressive changes. Even before Measure P takes shape on this campus, MHS has taken some solid measures to upgrade their school. The south building is state-of-the-art, equipped with collaborative desks and computers for students to work at in every room. The doors are equipped with new keyless locks, making the campus safer and easier to monitor. Not only that, but there's a new teacher on campus who is making an impact of her own: Christina Depweg. Thinking that school ended at 2:30, I showed up a little early to beat traffic of cars and kids leaving school for the day. What I didn't realize was that school ended at 2:55. Instead of hanging out in the office, this was a perfect chance to watch Christina in action. She welcomed me into the room and immediately got back to instruction. There was certainly technology integrated into the lesson, but it wasn't the focal point. The way that she has implemented her iPad, whiteboard, Doceri, and teaching style make it seem like she's been an educator for years. The next observation that was easy to make was her proximity to her students. The only time that her students saw her at the front of the room was to point out a difference in angles. Other than that, the iPad allowed her to roam the room, using proximity to quell any side conversations and encouraging from everywhere. Whether this was intentional or not, I was thoroughly impressed. Before the bell rang to end the day, the students in Ms. Depweg's Dojo were locked in and ready to participate. It was evident that a safe environment had been created and students were encouraged to participate without fear of reprimand from the instructor or ridicule from the class. While I was only there for a short amount of time, Christina proved that a new teacher with the support of good admin and a solid team are bound for success. After class, we got to sit down and chat in a little bit more detail. Right now, as with many of the teachers in CJUHSD, Christina is getting comfortable with using Doceri. She was able to flow effortlessly between slides, annotating over the images and creating a natural transition for her students from problem to problem.
One idea that Christina is using with her new iPad and Doceri is the ability to share slides with students. Whether it is by emailing, sending through school loop, or showing students the next day, she is eager to support her students in AND out of the classroom. I am eager to get back into her room to see how she continues to evolve as an educator and improve the awesomeness that is nurtured in her room and out of it. If you would like to identify someone (even yourself) for the Teacher Spotlight in CJUHSD, please let us know. We are trying to showcase as many great teachers as we can! John |
AuthorsDemi, John Stevens, John Corrow, and Paula are excited to visit classrooms and meet with teachers to see some of the awesome things that are going on within CJUHSD. Archives
February 2016
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