I am pleased to announce that I am the Social Media Director for CUE Rock Star La Jolla this year. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing what amazing things are planned for this amazing camp. 

CUE Rock Star Camps are not your typical summer camps, they are way more thrilling and you don't have to sleep in a tent.....unless that is your thing of course. Rock Star Camps are 3-day long hands on extravaganzas that fall between an unconference and a traditional conference. 

A Rock Star Camp is totally tailored to those who want more hands on time out of a professional development. Another awesome reason to attend Rock Star La Jolla (or any Rock Star Camp) is that the classes are kept small, usually selling out around 60-70 attendees. The ratio is usually 1:10 giving you time to dig into the session at hand and get the help from an expert teacher. 

Rock Star La Jolla will be an all day event with an extra long lunch so that you can networks, collaborate, throw ideas around, and of course eat. The schedule for Rock Star La Jolla this year will be: 

Daily Schedule:  June 23rd- June 25th
9:00      Coffee (AKA Wake Up Drink)
9:30      Shred Sessions (Figure out where you want to go today)
10:00    Session 1 (Learning: Round 1)
12:00    Lunch/Networking (2 hours of fun and food)
2:00      Session 2 (Learning Round 2)
4:00      Closing (Yes the day really is over, we are sad too)

Tons of time for hanging out and a crazy amount of learning going on too. I guarantee that Rock Star La Jolla will be totally different from any other professional development you have been too. We will be at the beautiful Muirlands Middle School, 1056 Nautilus Street, La Jolla, CA 92037 on June 23rd- June 25th. I know you are also wondering about the beach since we are talking about La Jolla and we have you covered. We are less than 10 minutes away from this wonderful sandy paradise.  

I know you are excited to check out this amazing spin on professional development (as you should be) so go ahead and wonder over to the main CUE Rock Star La Jolla page to check out some more details. In the following weeks I will be sure to share anything amazing that is going down. This is one professional development that you don't want to miss!  

See ya there, 

I have never been one to stay super organized and that includes my multiple inboxes. That is...until I stumbled upon Unroll.me. This website is amazing and will change your inbox forever.  

Every time you go to just about any retail store they always ask for your e-mail address. Don't you love getting those great coupons especially when you really need them? What about when you get them every single week? Maybe you are too busy to unsubscribe or maybe you are like me who suffers from fomo on those great deals when I really need them. Well, unroll.me has answered your inbox prayers. 

When you sign up for unroll.me, you can not only save those fabulous deals but you can even unsubscribe from those annoying e-mails you get day after day. When you first sign up you simply put in your e-mail and it gives you the list of all websites you are subscribed to. From here, you can decide to do the following: Add to Rollup, Unsubscribe, or Keep in Inbox. Then once a day like magic, all of the items you decided to add to your rollup appear in one beautiful e-mail. I can now take a quick look at all of my steals and deals instead of archiving them like I normally do. 

Ever had a crazy ex, junk mailing grandma, or just wanted to block someone? Unroll.me also allows you to block specific contacts that are driving you nuts. The insanity is gone! 

Now what happens if you delete your rollup in your e-mail you ask? Unroll.me has your back and you can go into the archives to find the missing e-mail. You can also go and find a previously unsubscribed website and resubscribe to your desire. Also, you can decide do you want your rollup morning, afternoon, or evening as well as a grid form or list form. 

I have used this will all of my e-mail accounts and will never go back to the old way of getting my inbox cleared out. I get to keep all of my favorite subscriptions and sanity as well, what more could I ask for?

Have questions about Unroll.me? Feel free to comment below and I will be happy to assist. You can also check them out on Twitter and Facebook as well. 

Happy Rolling Up! 

Ahh my PLN, my Professional Learning Network. How near and dear I hold you to my heart. My PLN is my support team and has grown immensely over the past few months. 

I have always been interested and up to date with the latest technology (so I thought). I had a Myspace page, Blogger, G-mail, Hotmail, Twitter, Facebook, and so many other accounts I thought I was in the know of things. When I started teaching I was using Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. I would go to Professional Developments and write down the coolest new thing and think about how to use it in my class. I would read about 40 app in 40 minutes and suck  up everything I could. I would also reach out to other teachers and see what they use. I thought I was doing a great job and was awesome. 

Then, thanks to my friend Jon (@ipadsammy), I soon learned that I was indeed not as nearly as advanced as I thought I was. I had a regular Twitter account and Jon urged me to get one for educational uses. I quickly obliged and am glad that I did. A few months past and I still felt great at learning more about technology. The big change came when he added me to an amazing group on Voxer. I had used Voxer but never in this way. Since then, life hasn't been the same (so corny but so true). 

I have this support system to learn from including @ipadsammy, @tedrosececi, @MsVictoriaOlson, @LS_Karl, @classroom_tech, @MrMacnology, @WhoIsGoldberg, and so many more amazing people. Whenever I have a question, concern, a bad day, or even something I am really excited about they listen (most of the time). Everyday I look forward to hearing their great ideas and conversations about education to Oreos. I feel so lucky to be part of a great learning network. Without know it, they are pushing me to be a better teacher everyday. I am trying things I would have shrugged off last year, I am not afraid to ask questions (no matter how silly), and I feel accepted. Without my PLN I would be in the dark ages still. I know it is past Valentine's Day my dear friends but I hope you accept my late love letter. You guys seriously rock my socks and everyday I am so thankful to have you guys to lean on. Thank you for being my biggest support system. I love you guys. 

Who is in your PLN? What is your favorite part of having a PLN online and offline? 

Happy Sunday and Belated Valentine's Day. 

All my love,

I was recently looking through some old files on my computer and stumbled upon my teaching philosophy from September of 2011. I instantly had to click onto it to see what I had written. Did I have the same philosophy? Did I feel  completely different from just a few years ago? I HAD to know... so I clicked and learned quite a bit about my former and present self.                      
First off, I found out that I was soooo cheesy! "We need education like we need air; and allowing it to be free and plentiful is one of the greatest gifts that our students can take advantage of," if that isn't cheesy I don't know what is. 

Secondly, my philosophy of education hasn't changed though my view of education has. I still enjoy the classroom and think that it needs to be about the kids. Little did I know in 2011 that education wasn't all it is cracked up to be.  I wanted to use the latest and greatest strategy, be the best at grouping my students, and teach the important things.

While I do those things and so much more (as all teachers do) I didn't realize just how draining and exciting it would be. I wish that I could go back though and tell my 2011 self that it isn't as easy as I thought since I thought student teaching was a breeze, no worries or cares here ladies and gentlemen. Just an ordinary student teacher who thought she was all that HA!. Teaching has been one of the toughest things I have ever done. It could be from bouncing from grade level to grade level or for being a scatterbrain. Whatever the reason is, I don't care since it has all been worth it in the end.

One thing hasn't changed though and I hope never will. My former, eager, and overenthusiastic self said "In the end, it has always been about the students and it will always be about the students. From the moment I start until I retire I promise myself it will always be about them. "

Always. 

Have you ever been so excited to do something with your students that you just jump in? And after you jump in, the kids have fun but what you thought would happen didn't and the product you get is a failure? Yeah.....that is what happened when I jumped into blogging with my students. So here is my tale of how I messed up and how I am fixing it. 

Over winter break I was so excited to blog with my students. I couldn't WAIT for school to come around and so the first week back from break I told them we would be blogging the next week. They were excited, I was way more excited then they were and so we jumped in. I used Kidblog and signed up all of my kids, sent home a letter with information about Kidblog and how we would be using it in our classroom. 

My students were working on silly animals stories and I was silly enough to not go over the rules and procedures of blogging. I let them loose and they started typing away not really knowing why we were blogging, they just knew that we were going to share our stories with family, friends, and other people online. I didn't go over procedures for how to leave good comments, or that whatever you put online is stuck online. The kids had fun though but the product was not up to my expectations. 

So what do you do when you mess up and feel like the worst teacher in the world? I decided to start again and ask my PLN (Professional Learning Network). Man oh man did I find some great things from fellow class blogger Victoria who did a GHO (Google Hangout) with me and broke down how she successfully blogs in her class. She referred me to Pernille Ripp and her fantastic tips on blogging. After all the talking and reading I knew I was ready to start again. 

Next week, my class and I will be using paper blogs to start our journey, we have been going over internet safety rules and how to be safe online from Common Sense Media. I felt so disappointed that I rushed in, but my kids are excited to blog again. Sometimes you have to mess up to figure out how to become a better person (or teacher). 

Hope you have a great school week this week! 

Let me know in the comments or on Twitter if you have ever done a lesson that was a flop and if so, how did you fix it?

We all have that great intention to make resolutions that we will keep throughout the year but come on.... our great intentions last all of two months or longer if we are lucky. I decided to change the world resolution to goals this year and that being said, I have five big goals that I would love to accomplish. Three are educational and two are personal so here we go...


1. Ramp Up My Patience-

I love my students, I really do. Just ask them and they will tell you that I care so much but sometimes I may or may not lose my cool. No screaming, yelling, or going crazy but I just lose my patience with them. I want to in those times, step back and realize they are in second grade, seven to nine years old. Such sweet little kids that I love oh so much and the brief moment of my losing my cool will be gone if I just take a deep breath. =)

2. Use More Technology-

I feel that I use a lot of technology in my classroom but I would LOVE to use it more in my classroom and use it consistently. We already use our Chromebooks daily for typing lessons, printing our AR reports, and for listening to stories. We also use Educreations on the iPad to work out our math problems. In the next year, I would love to have my kiddos to blog, type up their stories, listen to stories with Storia, and use so many of the great apps and websites out there!

3. Be More Productive-

Being a crazy extrovert and a passionate teacher, I tend to spend a lot of time focusing on my classroom and how I can improve. I am not trying to toot my own horn but I spend so much time on my classroom and thinking about my kids that I never get me time. Or me and family time and this is something I need to change. I am going to stick to my strict 4:30 rule; Leave at 4:30 (exceptions include report card time and sub plans). 

4. Connect With More Educators-

I love connecting with educators but once things get crazy with school, I tend to stop blogging, stop using Twitter, and also stop listening to my favorite podcasts. I want to dedicate some time each day to take a break from the norm and spend more time connecting with my fellow educators. 

Lastly, I'm sure that a lot of people have this goal/resolution so I won't go into detail ;)

5. Budget My Money-
I know this is a popular one but I want to become better at balancing my money. I am in the process of getting a house, growing up, and all that jazz (Being old stinks sometimes). I love using Mint.com as I have tried many other ways of budgeting and this is the only way that seems to work. 

These are a few goals/resolutions that I figured I would be able to keep. 

What are your goals for this year? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section! 

Lots of love and I hope you celebrated the coming of the new year in style!

Here are my top 10 strategies to use in the classroom when you are reviewing. Have any other strategies? Please fire off in the comments what you do!

Tic-Tac-Toe, What Do You Know?
Have subject & review questions ready
Create a tic-tac-toe board on the board or chart paper
Divide the class into two teams
If a team gets the answer right, have them fill in an X or O but if they get it wrong, the opposing team gets a chance to steal the point
The first team to tic-tac-toe wins.

Teacher Vs. Student
Have subject & review questions ready
Seat students on the floor with their whiteboards
Ask students a question and have them answer with their whiteboards (I find that students love this game during math time)
If almost all of the students get the right answer, I give them the points :)
If a lot of the students do not know the answer, the teacher gets the point and then walks the students through to get the correct answer

Circle Up
Have subject & review questions ready
Seat the students in a circle and have a ball ready to roll!
The teacher will ask a question, when the student knows the answer they put up a “personal thumbs up” (Thumbs up by their chest when they have the answer instead of raising their hands)
The teacher rolls the ball (for older students, you can throw the ball and have them sit on their desks)  to a student who has the answer and the student answers
If the answer is correct, the teacher asks another question and the student with the ball rolls it to another student who has an answer
If the answer is wrong, the teacher can have the ball rolled to another student or review the question.
*Tip- When reviewing math, ensure that they have manipulatives or whiteboards if needed*

I Have Who Has?
**See attached handout for full rules, example and template. There are a lot of different subjects for this game on the internet**
Rules
Example
Template

SPARKLE
Use this when reviewing vocabulary words, spelling words, or any other words you want your students to know how to spell.
The class forms a circle or line
The teacher says a list word.
The first student says the first letter of the word
The next in line says the second letter.
The student next in line says the third letter.  This continues until all letters of the list word have been spoken.
The student in line AFTER the last letter, then says the list word.
The next student in line says "SPARKLE" 
Anytime a student says the wrong letter, he is out and returns to his seat.
Whoever is left is the winner

BINGO
BINGO is a great game that can be used from K-12 in any subject. There are a lot of templates available online for any subject from art to history! Check out Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) and Pinterest to find some great templates and already done BINGO games.

K-5 Math Teaching Resources
This is a great website that has a multitude of math games for K-5. These games can be adapted for high grades or even review for higher games. The best part is each of these games has a standard linked to it so you will be sure to know exactly what standards you are reviewing.

Trophies Game Boards
Trophies (The reading series) is not the only place to get blank game boards but I have found they copy the best. With these blank game boards, you can review spelling, phonics, math, history, art, and any other subject. I first write and copy as many game boards as I need for the week. Next, I glue them down onto a file folder and put the topic(s) and standard(s) on the outside for future reference.

Table Top Blogs
This is a favorite in my class. I will write review questions on a piece of chart paper either on the top or in the middle. I will separate my students into groups of about four to five. Next, I take the chart paper with the questions and put them around the room. My students do a little walk around the room and answer the question. The best way for me to keep track of who is writing and who is not is by having the students pick different colors (of markers) for each group they are in. I give them about two minutes per paper and then switch.

**You can view my blog for more detailed information about this strategy.**

K-W-L
This is a great way to review with students. I usually present a topic and have the students use sticky notes to write what they know and what they want to know. At the end of the unit, the students will take another sticky note and write three or so things they learned. This is a great way to review and also formatively assess the students


Bonus…. QR Codes and Augmented Reality are amazing ways of reviewing with students. They bring the classroom to life and make learning and studying more meaningful, informational, and engaging.  I highly suggest checking these out and using them in your classroom!

Hopefully this list will help you find a trick or two that can help you review with your own students. 

Leave a comment below letting my on any trick or tips that you have of our own, I can't wait to hear how you review in your own class!