Ready for the new school year!

For the past three days, I have been working away in my classroom getting ready for my new batch of students!  There have a been a few setbacks, but I can happily say that I am finally finished (for the most part).  Last year, I had a huge tube TV hanging on the wall over my computer.  I was constantly in fear that it would land on me like Dorothy's house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East.  Luckily, as I walked into my classroom today, it was gone!  I am very excited that they are preparing my room for my new flat screen TV!  My plan was to set up the lab tables into groups of two, but unfortunately they won't all fit in my room unless half of the kids face the back of the room.  Hopefully I can come up with a new idea soon so group work can be done more easily.

Here are some pictures of my classroom now, without the new TV!  I think the plan is to attach the TV above the white board and have it angled down so everyone can see it!  I can't wait until it's here!

The view from the door.  Welcome to Ms. Blizzard's class!

 

My current setup, with projector and screen.  Hopefully, my new TV will replace this soon!

Tomorrow and Friday I will be going to a workshop about iPads in the classroom.  I am hoping to learn a lot of new techniques to incorporate into my classroom.

Have a great night!

Chrissy

My first crack at a blog!

Hello everyone!  My classroom is going through a lot of changes this year, so I thought I should share my journey with you as I introduce more technology into my room.  I am fortunate enough to have an awesome and supportive administration who encourages technology and trying out new things.  

Let me share a little bit about me.  I graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in Math/Science/Technology and a concentration in Math.  After college, I taught two years of elementary enrichment in two different districts.  One of those years I spent developing a new strictly-science enrichment curriculum and a middle school STEM club.  

After two years, I landed the job of my dreams, 7th grade science in my own middle school.  The first year was absolutely perfect, with amazing students, coworkers, and friends.  Towards the end of the year, word got around that I was looking to incorporate more technology into my classroom.  We have one iPad cart for the entire school, and several laptop carts, but it can be challenging the get them on the days that you want them, considering they are in high demand.  After talking with my current principal, I was designated the "guinea pig" teacher for an AppleTV program.  I received an iPad and AppleTV towards the end of last year, and I am looking forward to incorporating it into my class this year!  I will also be receiving a flat screen TV for my AppleTV instead of using it with the projector.  The other two 7th grade science teachers will be trying these out with me, so I'm looking forward to collaborating with them on how we can use all of this amazing equipment!

As the year goes on, I will be posting about what I'm doing, what worked, what didn't, and what I have learned.  If you have any ideas for me, I would love to hear them!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
Chrissy