Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

My students and I benefit from using technology in the classroom and it's evident that we are all becoming more comfortable and proficient with it. There are times, though, where this risk-taking doesn't pan out and I have the opportunity to model how I handle failing (this time--there will be others, I'm sure!). I wanted to introduce a new unit of study using primary source maps and prompts in History using an app that would allow me to link the class' ideas on one screen. (The app shall remain nameless, I don't believe the app is at fault, rather user error on my part!) I had read up on the app but felt like we could figure it out as we went along and that's usually a successful strategy. The students in my first class downloaded the app and we all tried to link together. One student showed us how to find a QR code and I thought we were on our way. I gave myself a limit of 7 minutes to attempt this new technology--if we couldn't get it downloaded...

Student Historians took part in an online discussion yesterday on Schoology. Students were asked to take a stand and defend whether they would've been a Federalist or a Democratic-Republican if they had lived in America in the late 1700s. I really like online discussions and will utilize them more often. We started the discussion in class but students could complete their participation on their own time. Our students are usually busy but the week before the end of the semester and a modified exam week is especially time-crunched for them. (One of my girls put her head down on her desk before class began today! It was a good reminder to me to be especially empathetic in the next few days!) I believe this assignment flexibility was appreciated and student participation was high.  Online discussions give students practice in Digital Citizenship. I monitored the discussions and they did a wonderful job of staying on-task and were very professional and respectful. Knowing how t...

Student Historians will download this word cloud into OneNote and use it as a comprehension activity during a video clip tomorrow. I've done this once before this year--these clouds take a bit of time to create but is well worth my work. Students will be asked to assign a different color to Jefferson and Hamilton and highlight the terms in the cloud according to whether it was a belief of Hamilton or Jefferson (not necessarily which man stated the term). I will need to show the clip twice but it's under 3 minutes, therefore not overwhelming for my students to view again. They can complete the activity during the first viewing and check their work during the second viewing. This activity will provide solid formative assessment data and I will clearly know whether or not my students understand the very different views of these two men.