Saying Goodbye.......

It has been over a week since my last post.  Anyone who is involved in education, whether you be an educator, parent, or student, knows what the last couple of weeks of school are like.  "Bedlam" could be a word used by some, but I prefer "excessive energy."  Students and teachers alike are experiencing a wide range of emotions.  Yes, we are all "done" and ready for summer to begin, but at the same time we are feeling a sense of sadness.  One of my student bloggers said it so well in her most recent post,

"I have made amazing friends and have formed incredible bonds with my teachers. I can hardly believe that I am on to saying good-byes! It feels like just yesterday when we were meeting for the first time."

Rachel and my many other amazing students have taught me so much this year.  They have far exceeded any expectations I had for them and our class.  I am sad to see them leave and yet I know they must move on.  I will definitley be keeping an eye on this bunch.  I know they will be making amazing contributions not only to our high school community, but to the global community as well.  This week I have asked my students to give me feedback in the form of a friendly letter.  Much to their surprise, I have asked them not to "share" their Google docs with me (a virtual assignment to which they have become accustomed), but to actually print out a piece of paper and turn it in to me.  They have been honest and very inciteful in their comments about our course and technology in our school.  I will be taking their recommendations seriously and have already thought of ways to modify my curriculum to better suit the needs of my future students.

So it is with a somewhat heavy heart, I say "good bye" to the class of 2018, and congratulations on a job well done this year! They have definitely left a positive mark in our school, and I am very proud to say have made positive contributions to their digital footprints.  I am sure you will be hearing from many of them for years to come!!
                                                  Happy Summer!!!

image link:  http://www.liquidbreaker.com/blog/take-a-hike-green-ideas-for-summer-fun/



21st Century Student End of the Year Clean Up

Ending the school year looks very different when you are a 21st Century student. If you ask your parents and grandparents what they did at the end of a school year, they will probably tell you it involved throwing out papers, erasing marks in textbooks, wiping down chalkboards, and cleaning out desks. I am pretty sure the words, "delete" and "unshare" were not a part of their end of school year routine.

This week you will work on the "manage" theme in class. You are going to need to clean and organize your p-drive and your Google apps. I have provided you with a resource to get this job done.

I will admit, I am going to ask you to wipe down your workstations, but that is probably the only similarity you will have with how your parents used to end their year.

Before we get started, I would like you to take a moment and take the following survey.

You will need to use the End of Year Checklist located next to your workstation. Be sure to read carefully and follow the directions. Everything you need is there. Ms. Sweeney worked very hard on this checklist.

 




image link: http://www.sodahead.com/living/how-often-do-you-clean-up-your-computer-internally-and-physically/question-3293499/