Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 24/31: Spring Fling

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 24/31: 
Spring Fling

Leigh Anne Eck, thoughtful blogger at A Day in the Life, challenged slicers to a virtual party, inviting others to share their best self-care ideas. 

I cannot resist a good party, so here are my three suggestions of self-care:

Practice gratitude. I strive to write a daily list of three things I'm grateful for. I've found that practicing gratitude helps me reframe my attitude, especially when I am cranky or feeling negative about something in my life. 

This morning's gratitude
1. Having my kids with me and feeling their fierce hugs
2. Noticing positive sidewalk messages/drawings
3. Receiving a stream of great messages from a certain friend - one who continually makes me smile

Movement. For me, this is walking. I have a great walking partner who is also a friend and neighbor. However, I also love walking alone, especially early in the morning before most of the world is awake.

Maintaining connection. Lately, this has been connecting with friends and loved ones through conversations on my cell phone, through Google Meet, and even through traditional letter writing. Although I pop in and out of social media, this is my least favorite way to connect with someone. 

What are your best ideas for current self-care?

Thank you, Leigh Anne, for organizing this positive, helpful party. 

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? 

Consider sharing a slice of yourlife with Two Writing Teachers. 

All writers are welcome! 

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 21/31: Virtual Chats

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 21/31: 
Virtual Chats

Last Monday afternoon we got this information from one of our school administrators, "Tomorrow's meeting is only for Teachers.  Due to the latest developments with COVID-19 we will be using Google Meet tomorrow to broadcast our PD.  A link will be sent out tomorrow. " 


What? I initially thought. We've never used Google Meet. We always meet face-to-face as a staff. How will this work? 

We were instructed to report to school the next day and in lieu of meeting in our school library media center as a large group, we were to meet in our small Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in classrooms scattered throughout the building. Our whole teaching staff received the same information and we could communicate with each other through video and messaging. It was unlike any other staff meeting I had ever attended.
 
This was the first time I used Google Meet. 

Initially, my teaching partner, Krista, and I stumbled a little with getting our Hover Cam working correctly with our Viewsonics. We couldn't get the video quite right. Then we couldn't get the sound to work. We had to pop into another PLC to ask for techincal assistance. After a few minutes, we figured it out though. We got all of the information and links to documents we needed. 

Later on that afternoon, Krista and I practiced calling each other using Google Meet. It was an alternative that we could use to communicate with each other as professionals while we were homebound. It was also a technological tool we could use to communicate with families and students without giving out our personal cell phone numbers. 


Krista figured out how to use Google Meet immediately. She sent me a link on my cell phone so we could see how it looked on the parent/student end. I tried the same. It was a bit more of a learning curve for me, but after a bit of playing around, I successfully used it. 


Wednesday I used Google Meet again for a school meeting. It was the third time I used it and the first time I set it up so that I could share a link with my colleagues. I was at home, my colleague/friend Debbie was at school, and two other colleagues/friends (Mike and Alex) were at two different locations. Together, we managed to edit an important PBIS document and have a conversation about how this document would be shared with staff. 


On Thursday I talked with my colleague and friend, Jeremy on Google Meet. In the midst of learning how to use distance learning, it was so reassuring to hear his familiar voice and even see his face. I was feeling more confident that I could use Google Meet with families. 


Last night, with the help of my brother, my siblings and I used Google Meet to hang out with each other virtually. While my brother lives in town, my sister lives on the other side of the state. It made me feel good to see them and connect with them, even if it was only through the Internet.

Here I am, chatting with my sister and brother, using Google Meet

Last week I had no idea how to use Google Meet. In fact, I hadn't even heard of it. Yet, I am amazed, in the face of urgency (and pandemic), how quickly I adapted to using a new technology. 

What technology tools have you recently learned how to use? 

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? 

Consider sharing a slice of yourlife with Two Writing Teachers. 

All writers are welcome! 

Haiku-A-Day December Challenge #12: Technology Interruption

For the last three years, I've intentionally spent time writing and sharing a Haiku-A-Day for the month of December. The first two years I exchanged a daily Haiku privately with willing friends, mostly through text and email. Last year I wrote and shared each Haiku on my blog. Throughout this process, I've discovered that the practice of noticing and reflecting through writing a Haiku grounds me, provides with with a certain kind of peace, assists me with better practicing gratitude, and helps me better navigate this "hurry up" world. This year my goal is the same as last year: to pen and publish a daily Haiku on my blog throughout December. 

Haiku-A-Day December Challenge #12: 
Technology Interruption

When I moved a few months ago, I was fortunate to have my big brother nearby to help me set up my technology. He even loaned me an Apple TV so I wouldn't need to purchase something extra on my limited budget.

Readers, my technology expertise is limited. It takes me a while to figure out how to navigate technology. I'm happy to allow my students to assist me with problem solving or asking one of my children to help me figure out something, especially technology-related.

So imagine my anxiety when I sat down to crochet and watch Mindhunter last night and I got an error message that the Apple TV wasn't hooked up with the Internet. As one of my only go-to's for when technology doesn't work, I restarted the Apple TV, but no luck. 

No connection. 

Of course my son and daughter are with their dad for the next few days. I knew my brother was in the midst of assessing student work. I was on my own. 

After a long exchange of texts from my thirteen-year-old son, including photos and a series of instructions, I finally got the Apple TV connected. (Seriously, when did my kid get so savvy with this?)  

Whew. 

Breathe, Trina.

It's fixed. 

I guess I now know a little bit more about how the Apple TV is set up.

No Network Error:/

Frustration level rises/

son texts instruction. 

Haiku-A-Day December Challenge #9: Projector Problems

For the last three years, I've intentionally spent time writing and sharing a Haiku-A-Day for the month of December. The first two years I exchanged a daily Haiku privately with willing friends, mostly through text and email. Last year I wrote and shared each Haiku on my blog. Throughout this process, I've discovered that the practice of noticing and reflecting through writing a Haiku grounds me, provides with with a certain kind of peace, assists me with better practicing gratitude, and helps me better navigate this "hurry up" world. This year my goal is the same as last year: to pen and publish a daily Haiku on my blog throughout December. 

Haiku-A-Day December Challenge #8: 

Projector Problems 

Just before Thanksgiving Break the bulb on my digital projector at school burned out. It hasn't been replaced yet, and I have been told it will not be replaced due to an upcoming technology upgrade. I am not complaining about the lack of technology; it has simply made instruction different for the past week. Without a digital projector, I cannot project documents or examples, easily show videos, or use our HoverCam. 

Unfortunately, I do not have an overhead projector anymore (or transparency sheets or Visa V Markers). In addition, I do not have a chart stand or chart paper. However, I can make photo copies of paper handouts, I have a large dry erase white board mounted in my classroom, a collection of dry erase markers, and my students have Chromebooks (on a one-to-one ratio).  

However, the absence of my digital projector has been surprising. I did not realize how much I rely on this technology in my daily classroom instruction.

Projector bulb out/

limits familiar methods:/

think aloud on board.

Paper copies, use/

Chromebook tools - more of teacher/

preparation here.

Tuesday Slice of Life: Without WiFi

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? Consider sharing a slice of your life with Two Writing Teachers. All writers are welcome! 

Tuesday Slice of Life: 
Without WiFi

I recently moved to a new place. If you haven't moved in a while, you may not remember how stressful moving can be. Furthermore, moving is also incredibly expensive and time-consuming. Needless to say, I don't want to move again any time soon, especially at the beginning of the school year.

In the last month, one of the things that has been the most eye-opening for me was life without WiFi/home access to the Internet. When I moved, I had to make so many decisions and set up essential services, like utilities, coordinating moving schedules, etc. I did not have a lot of time to sit on the phone with representatives trying to sell me all kinds of services I did not need. Truthfully, I was overwhelmed with what kind of Internet service I wanted and from which provider. Oh yeah, and scheduling a time to sit for a four hour window that wasn't during the school day? This proved challenging and frustrating. I couldn't take off of work just for an Internet installation. 

In the end, by the time I got everything scheduled, it took a little over a week to get my home Internet installed. Fortunately, in the meantime, I could use my cell phone's data and access the Internet at work, so I didn't completely "go dark". 

Going without WiFi for only one week provided me a glimpse of what it's probably like for my students and their families who have unreliable WiFi or no WiFi - including those families who move frequently or who just cannot afford it. Currently, one of my children is in middle school. Most of his homework is delivered via a digital platform. He has a Chromebook assigned to him for the school year through our local school district, but without WiFi at home, he couldn't use it when he was at home. This meant that anything he didn't finish in class he had to do before or after school, or I needed to take him to a location with WiFi. As a parent, I also couldn't easily check his grades. Checking the online learning platforms on cell phones can be accomplished, but it takes longer AND it is more challenging to navigate. Talk about frustrating. 

In the school district I teach in, we are 1:1 (one device per student) at the high school level. Before this year, I always assumed that the device itself was adequate enough for students to accomplish work assigned online. I thought, what else did they really need to get their work done? Since I have had Internet access at home for most of my teaching career, I haven't had to imagine life without Internet access. 

In consequence, this was the first year I discreetly polled my students and asked who had Internet access at home and who did not. I assumed most did, with maybe one or two students who did not. However, I was surprised at the number of students who didn't. Out of 90 of my seniors, approximately one fourth of them reported that they do not have Internet access at home (and are limited to using a cell phone only). Wow. 

In the past, I have asked my students to accomplish a lot of work online. I've always given them time in class, but I have not thought twice about students finishing work at home if they ran out of time. Yet, after living without home access to WiFi for a week, it makes me question some of my practices, including how much time I allot in class for my students to finish their work that requires Internet and how many of my students have access to reliable Internet at home.   

This was just one week without WiFi.