Global Edventures - Episode #2: Classroom Management

 It's that time again!!! Myself and three other lovely ladies (Erin, Allie and Laura) are going to be LIVE on Blab.im for our second episode of Global Edventures! This week's topic is "Classroom Management".

For this week's "Where in the World" Global Game, i'm being featured and will be giving away a cool Canadian prize pack delivered right to your door! To enter you must join our show and jump in to give your answers. The first clue was found on our blog Global Edventures and here you will find clue #2...

So can you guess where in the world Ms. Idealistic is????

Thank you so much for joining us on our global edventures :)

Currently September

Hello again :) Yes, I know my "Currently August" was only about a week ago but so much has happened in a mere week that I decided to link up with Farley at over at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade again.

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Global Edventures - New Blab Show

T-Minus 2 Hours Until Launch!

I am so excited to announce that myself (Ashley) from Canada, Laura (@year2tastic) from the UK, Erin (@learning2beawesome) from New Zealand and Allie (@alliethegypsyteacher) from Tanzania are launching a new Blab Show called "Global Edventures". We will be focusing on Back to School today and Erin will be our Lead Host!

Please join us by visiting our website or subscribing directly on Blab!

Can't make it? Check out the replay :)

August Currently

I'm really loving all of these teacher link-ups that I have recently found! This post is about a monthly link-up with Farley over at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade. I like that you can be creative with the graphic and that it provides 

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Classroom Management & Gamification with ClassCraft

So as promised on my Periscope, here is my post about an awesome new classroom management tool - Classcraft.

When you first create an account, you are automatically greeted with a pop-up that allows you to explore, watch video tutorials or read FAQ. I found this extremely helpful as a newbie and was able to navigate very easily after watching only 2 video tutorials.

Now for the meat - Why Classcraft? Not only is it gamification at its finest, but it also promotes collaboration and keeps students accountable to themselves and their teammates. Rewards and "punishments" are completely customizable, although they do provide you with a few examples to begin with. Students must first decide what type of character they want to be (mage, warrior or healer) and then are put into teams that consist of each type of character. I plan to do this on the first day and then use those groups for their seating plan for the first month or two. 

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Monday Made It - Colourful Supply Caddy

Hi everyone! So I am trying out another linky party today with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics. So here goes nothing with my very first Monday Made It!

For a bit of background - I am in the process of setting up a new home office (yay to having the space finally) but I am lacking in equipment to hold my supplies :S This is where my idea for my first ever Monday Made it came from....

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Five for Friday - Linky Party {August 7th, 2015}

 Driving 

This past week has meant lots and lots of driving. I don't necessarily love being in a car in the first place but being the only one who can drive kinda sucks... especially for 9 hour trips. We made it though! This summer has been full of driving - first a 6-hour drive to see my parents, then 2-hours to see a friend in Montreal, 6 hours back to the North then a couple days later a 9-hour trip to Barrie, ON to see his dad and then back home a week later. Unfortunately it's not over either :S I'll be heading back down to Barrie again this week for a wedding. Thank goodness I finally have a vehicle of my own (woohoo no more rentals) or else this would be very hard on the wallet!

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Five for Friday - Linky Party {July 31st, 2015}

Hey guys and gals! So i've decided to try something new on here, and link up with the lovely Kacey over at Doodle Bugs Teaching for her weekly "Five for Friday" posts. Basically it's a weekly sum-up all in one post of what's been going on in my life. If you'd like to learn more, please jump on over to her blog and find out more :) So, without any further ado... here goes nothing!

 Periscope

This app has very quickly become my new social media obsession! The week started out with me following a of couple teachers (live) sharing things like their classroom set-up or various resources and developed into me (somewhat) overcoming my nerves and doing a couple of my own live broadcasts. The advice I got from other teachers was to start out by introducing yourself and then to simply share what you are passionate about :)

#Teachertoottoot 

Through Periscope I was also able to connect to pretty amazing peeps! These ladies have been so warm and welcoming, and although I felt a bit like a creeper at the beginning (simply watching and not really saying much), I am now happy to feel like part of their #TeacherTribe. I may be the token Canadian, but everything that these ladies have shared with me has really lit a fire under my bum, especially in terms of my blog. Two of the ladies who i'd like to give a shout out to this week are Misty at KrazyAboutTeaching who first invited me in and Farrah at Mrs. Shipley's Classroom who has introduced me to the wonderful world of Whole Brain Teaching.

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The Importance of Being Thankful

It's time for Thanksgiving!

Yes, you read that right. I promise though, there is no need to worry. My teacher burnout isn't that bad where I actually think I've skipped the entire summer already!

I mean don't get me wrong...

I DO love Thanksgiving, it's actually my favourite holiday! Between the colourful foliage, turkey-feasting and fun family time, who wouldn't love Thanksgiving? 

However, this post is simply my way of sending some gratitude out into the universe. So here is a list of 5 things that I am grateful for today: 

1. My family -- I'm very lucky to have such close relationships with everyone in my family, and even luckier to have such a wide variety of relationships to learn from. With one sister, one brother, an adorable niece and a mother and father who are still very much in love, I can honestly say that I am one very fortunate woman!

2. My spouse -- Michael is a very caring and supportive man! This September will mark 10 years together. Through all of our up's and down's, all of our moves and career changes, he's been my one constant. Love you babe ;)

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Computer Programming for Kids!

This year even though I didn’t have to report on Computer Science for my grade 2’s, I felt that the one computer period I did have with them a week needed to be educational. At first, I used Reflex Math to compliment their Math program, but they got bored with it about mid-way through the year, and I needed to spice things up a bit.

Enter - Code.org -

This website provides teachers with both digital and hard-copy lessons to introduce kids to computer programming. No written coding is required on their part, instead it is a simple drag and drop system. However, the critical thinking and problem solving skills acquired are all the same! They have also interwoven kid-friendly components like characters and levels using popular media (Flappy Bird, Frozen, Plants vs. Zombies, etc.) so the kids felt like they were playing a game! 

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Visible Assessment at the SNAP of a finger

Sesame IO - SNAP & Desktop

We are constantly reminded as teachers that learning should be visible. This is really great when applied, especially for experiential learners, but can be difficult when asked to provide examples of assessment to parents and/or administrators. 

Enter - Seasame IO -

Sesame offers teachers the opportunity to implement visible learning principles at the touch of a finger.

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