The Great Plant Escape!

The Great Plant Escape from The University of Illinois Extension is an in depth webquest that gives students the opportunity to learn about plant science.

Students are tasked with joining Detective LePlant and his partners, Bud and Sprout, to unlock the many mysteries of plant life!

This webquest is beneficial to teachers who cover plants within their science curriculum. The Great Plant Escape is easy to follow and keeps students engaged. The goal of this webquest is to not only introduce students to plants, but to increase their understanding of our relationship with plants and how food grows. While the content is a science topic, skills from all curriculum areas are used.  One benefit, is teachers can choose to cover the entire webquest or just portions of it. They can also offer this as a choice to students or assign specific cases based on the needs of the individual student.

The Great Plant Escape is very well organized and easy to follow. The content is broken into six cases to be solved. This webquest includes a detailed teaching guide which provides the following information for each case:

• Before You Begin: compelling questions to get your students thinking about the topic 
• The Classroom: provides information regarding any needs within the classroom
• Introduction: specific student learning goals for each case
• Background: provides detailed discussion topics and required prior knowledge to better prepare students for success throughout the webquest
• Growing Deeper: suggestions to extend learning

Within the teaching guide, teachers will also have the opportunity to complete a short form to request a poster for their classroom! This is always fun!

Necesitas en español? No problemo! There is a spanish version available, as well!

The Great Plant Escape is an award winning, engaging webquest for you and your students to enjoy!

You can try it our for yourself here: The Great Plant Escape

In addition, be sure to check out the additional links under the Links tab for more information and resources to use with your class!

Links

I hope you will agree that this is a great activity for your students!

References: 

https://extension.illinois.edu/gpe/index.cfm

Screencast...YIKES!

Setting Up Google Classroom

What I thought would be a very simple task surely was not! I have started and stopped this recording more than a dozen times. Between having to pause for sneezing, kids interrupting me, or just plain messing up, this took forever!

This was just so incredibly difficult for me. This is an assignment that REEEEAAALLLYYY took me out of my comfort zone. I do not like any form of presentation and this had me stressing out! Even with a script, I felt like a fumbling mess! I was shocked at how hard this was for me.

Since this screencast was a such a challenge, I preferred to keep the content basic. In my original attempts, I went through many more detailed steps but felt it did not flow well and I kept making mistakes. Even though this is not something I enjoyed doing now, I still can see the value in it and hope to be able to become more comfortable using this in the future because I think it could be a great way to share information with both colleagues and students...and maybe even the world!

21st Century Classroom in the Library

According to the The CDW-G 21st Century Classroom Report, "a 21st-century classroom leverages technology to engage and empower teachers and students." This study surveyed 1,000 school Information Technology Specialists, high school students and high school staff to learn more about how students and teachers would like to use technology in the classroom. Other topics included reviewing how technology is changing and ways to improve the use of technology.

As educators strive to stay technology savvy and find meaningful ways to utilize technology in the classroom, the results were expected. Overall, the need for increased technology in the school setting is apparent. Yet, as with most educational initiatives, funding is a critical issue. This can prove to be a difficult obstacle when it is believed that having a wireless network, personal computer, interactive whiteboards, and digital content are all top choices that are considered to be essential to the 21st Century Classroom. Twenty four percent of those surveyed also expressed that technology does not always work. While technology can be unpredictable, items purchased should be reviewed, researched and of reliable quality to avoid encountering a new set of technology concerns from faulty networks or devices.  Understandably, this all comes at a high cost that some school districts may not be able to fund.

The library could offer wonderful opportunities for schools to start to provide some 21st Century opportunities. If putting interactive whiteboards in every classroom is not an option, perhaps investing in whiteboards for the library would provide a viable alternative. If each student cannot have their own device, instead purchase several class sets of devices that are shared but can be brought into the classroom. Starting on a smaller scale would also give the librarian an opportunity to work with teachers and students in a more collaborative environment. This would also be a great chance to analyze what is truly needed and would be best used. If more funding would come available, better choices may be made.

The librarian can take on the role of the digital leader by first learning new technology and software. Thirty percent of the respondents felt teachers do not know how to use technology! The librarian should work as a partner with the teachers in order to assist and inspire them to bring more technology to their students. This can be done through offering technology support and training to those who are interested. Empowering teachers with technological confidence will hopefully lead to empowered, confident students who learn, communicate, and collaborate in a technological educational world.

THE 2011 CDW-G 21ST-CENTURY CLASSROOM REPORT. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://webobjects.cdw.com/webobjects/media/pdf/newsroom/CDWG-21st-Century-Classroom-           Report-0611.pdf

So, who is this LiBLOGrian from Olivet?

Here we go again!
This will be my third Master Degree and I am seriously hoping that the third time really and truly is the charm! I love to learn. I do. But this may be getting a bit ridiculous! My first was in Curriculum and Instruction. It was a great experience, but was not really what I was looking for. After some more soul searching, I decided I would make an amazing principal! However, soon after finishing the program and earning my second degree, I changed my mind. I really dislike getting up in front of adults and the thought of staff meetings simply terrified me! So, I convinced myself that I could stay content in the classroom for a while. Well, it did not take long for me to come to the realization that I am happiest when teaching my students how to become better readers, getting them excited about new books, or helping them to research. I knew it was time to just jump in again! In addition to my new status as Olivet Graduate Student, I am also a 4th grade teacher at Roy DeShane in Carol Stream within CCSD93. Throughout my 16 years there, I have taught everything but 2nd and 3rd grade! I enjoy changing grade levels because I know that someday (soon?) I will venture out of the classroom. My hope is that my varied experiences will allow me to better understand the needs of all of the learners and educators in the elementary setting. I want to be able to help everyone! 

If I had to rate myself on a scale of 1-5 in regards to my technology experience and capabilities (and I do for this class), I would give myself a solid three! I have recently become one of our school's Digital Leaders through Discovery Education. Technology is a big part of my classroom since I am fortunate to work in a one to one district where each child has their own device. Having so much technology access has been an adjustment for sure! Surprisingly, while I can easily learn the latest and greatest technology programs and I see the value in bringing the newest tech tools to my students, my desk is still covered in post it notes and hand written lesson plans. The truth is that I am at the age where I understand technology and can willingly use it with ease, but I still enjoy the comforts of a time without it and often prefer the old ways of pencil and paper. Gasp!

I currently live in South Elgin with my husband, my 8 year old son, and my 13 year old daughter.  My husband also has a son who is 9 days younger than my daughter (who is also from a previous marriage). When we meet new people and they hear that the two oldest are the same age, they always ask if they are twins. My husband loves telling people that they are 9 days apart and watching their expression as they try to figure that out! My husband and I met when we taught together a very long time ago. We will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this December!
After teaching for five years, my husband made the decision to leave the classroom. He now works for Discovery Education so education is still a very big part of our relationship. Unfortunately, his job requires a great deal of travel so I am often on my own which can be trying. But, he is the most supportive person I have in my life and is a wonderful husband and father. We both love our blended family and enjoy spending time together when we can.

When I am not teaching or in class, my life happily revolves around my active children. Our world is filled with baseball, basketball, softball, football, tumbling, and competitive cheer. We are always on the move but I would not have it any other way.