NETA 2012 Conference

The 2012 Nebraska Educational Technology Association (#NETA12) Conference is in the books and what an incredible time it was! Our great district Instructional Tech Team of @catlett1 @techiefeldie @jennykbps were all there, as was the catalyst to my dive into the technology pool @angie_wass. I lost track of all the friends I made from #EdCampOmaha that were there.  On a quick sidenote, just let me say this, I'm using Twitter hashtags and @names becuase, if you're not on Twitter, you're not collaborating!

Thursday morning started with @KevinHoneycutt as our keynote speaker.  He shared personal experiences and stories to remind us the importance of focusing on reaching each student, and helping them be prepared digital citizens, not just digital natives (kevinhoneycutt.com) I purchased ITSE's book 'Digital Citizenship in Schools' which has over twenty lessons for students to protect themselves and their digital DNA.  This will be the start of next year's computer lab sessions in my classroom.  He also shared that because the jobs our students will have when they enter the workplace aren't around yet, we need to teach them L2L2L - Learn to Love to Learn!

With this being my first NETA, I was amazed at the great breakout sessions that followed.  The 21st Century Learning Environments hosted by @j_allen was discussed at a district and school administration level. While I'm not at the level, I enjoyed hearing what considerations, other than funding, are looked at when implementing technology.

Next, I attended Kevin Honeycutt's 'Before They Click...' This was an eye opener session for me.  While I was already aware of the need to control personal information online, this took me to a much higher level of understanding.  The permanence of information posted to the internet was engrained into my brain! This is when I was sold on the need to teach my 6th graders the importance of being good digital citizens and knowing the impact of an immediate emotional release online.  WOW!

Following lunch, I attended back-to-back sessions with @tammyworcester, 'Go Digital' and 'Google Activities for Kids!'  Notes for each of her sessions are available on her website (tammyworcester.com, Training Handouts, NETA 2012).  She also has several books which go into further detail of the material in each session.

My final session of the first day covered iPads and Apple TV.  This provided a little information on utilizing iPads as both an instructor and a student.  From the student's aspect, it provided the method of creating a report without paper - completely electronic.  The process was continued for the teacher by presenting how the electronic document could be filed, graded, and returned to students, all without a single piece of paper being used.  While the concept is good, given the limited technology in my classroom and the small amount of time in the computer lab, this isn't feasible for my class at this point.

The second day started with one of two keynote speakers.  I selected Tammy Worcester's presentation '21st Century Teaching & Learning - It's About Time!'  This one session turned into me watching three more sessions hosted by Ms. Worcester.  I listened and learned from Tammy's numerous ideas on how to integrate technology into the classroom; utilizing blogs, google docs, and numerous other websites and apps that synergize both student and teacher work.  There were great ideas presented here!

My final session of the day was entitled, 'Apps for Students Struggling with Organization' by Dr. Mary Spillane.  I attended this session as there are always a few students in my class who struggle with organization.  The session was specifically geared to those students with autism, ADHD (or ADD), or learning disabilities.  The session was great for me as I will have two autistic students in next years class.  The apps came fast and furious, most had a small cost, but some were free.  I've already added two of them (Pocketpond and Emotions Flashcards) to my personal iPad!

Overall, my first NETA conference was nearly overwhelming!  I'm still looking for links to the sessions I wanted to attend, but prioritized lower then the sessions I did attend.  There are three BIG technology pieces I took away from NETA.  First, 21st Century Learning is behind the powercurve.  We entered the 21st Century over 12 years ago, why isn't this in every classroom already?  Second, technology integration isn't something you simply add to a lesson, it's how the lesson is taught, how the student learns.  If a teacher thinks about adding technology after planning a lesson, it's being done the wrong way.  Lastly, and most importantly, our students are all digital natives, we must teach them to be digital citizens in every sense, including the protection their digital DNA.  My personal opinion is that as an educator, if I am not using or teaching these three important technology pieces in the classroom, I'm not teaching my students effectively.  In closing, I'll simply ask, 'Are you teaching in the 21st Century?'

Equivalent Fractions Song

Several students in my class have been struggling with finding equivalent fractions.  Perhaps this song will help them remember how to find them.

Classroom Expectations

My classroom expectations follow Fort Crook's 'Falcon Four.'

Which are;
- Be Safe
   (Are you walking instead of running?)
- Be Kind
  (Are you helping others?  Are you using your manners?)
- Be Respectful
   (Are you polite to every student and staff member?)
- Be Responsible
   (Are you turning in your assignments completed and on-time?)

My School - Fort Crook

I thought I'd take you on a quick tour of a few of my favorite places to visit at my school, Fort Crook Elementary.

Here is the front entrance.  If you arrive by bus or walk from base housing, you'll walk through these doors in the morning.

Fort Crook has a rich history within the Bellevue District.  To remind our students of this history, we have a mosaic along the Media Center wall in the front foyer.  You can read about it at Fort Crook History.

Right next to the mosaic are our Falcon-gram Winners through the year.  We have so many great kids the pictures are spreading out onto the mosaic!

Inside our office, you'll likely run into Cyndi or Cindy.  Either way, these two take great care of the teaching staff!  Thank you ladies!

Next stop is the Staff Lounge because even my students know that I must have my two cups of coffee in the morning!  This picture was taken during Teacher Appreciation Week.  Our PTA decorated the school for us and provided enough food to feed us for three days!  They really spoil me.

Here is a look at half of our Media Center.  It seems there is always something going on in here!  Mrs. Bleach and Mrs. Maxwell (pictured) are a huge help in getting specific titles for our class's literature circles.

Just a few more common areas to look at.  As our Building Technology Coordinator, I spend some time each week in here - our Computer Lab.  Healthy computers = happy students.

Across the hall from the Computer Lab are our fourth grade classrooms.  Be carefull fourth graders, these two plan better than any team I've seen!  Great smiles Mrs. Trimpey and Mr. Wellman.

Here is our Band room for our sixth grade band students.  You'll also find our after-school tone chimes students here twice a week.

Here we are walking down the fifth and sixth grade hallway.  Notice how calm, quiet, and peaceful it is?  Everyone must be at specials!  :)

We have special days throughout our school year and if you accidentally forget to bring your favorite hat on Hat Day, another teacher will be happy to provide one for you!  Thanks again Mrs. Lemley.

This has been a quick tour of a few of my favorite places to visit throughout the day at school.  Maybe you could visit one day.

My First Blog Post

My first blog, how exciting!  Hello world, I am Phillip Loomis, a third-year, sixth grade teacher at Fort Crook Elementary School in Bellevue, Nebraska.  I am a husband, father, grandfather, veteran, traveler, reader, and passionate about teaching.

My journey to becoming a teacher was long but fun (maybe I'll tell that story on a later post).  I graduated from Peru State College in 2009 with a degree in Elementary Education and certifications from Kindergarten through Ninth Grade in all core subject areas.  Leading up to my graduation was my retirement from the Air Force on December 31st, 2008 after serving 25 years, 2 months, and 6 days as a Meteorologist.  This life experience adds greatly to my classroom instruction.

Also adding to my classroom instruction is the gradual addition of technology.  I use to believe that the A/V Rovercart I use on a daily basis was technology, but that idea has slowly changed during this school year.  The various technologies used in my classroom are netbooks, the computer lab, and most recently my iPad.  Personally, my greatest technology tool is Twitter, in which I collaborate with countless teachers, principals, and parents on how best to help my students grow into the successful people they are capable of becoming.  Through Twitter and my district technology office, I've learned about numerous apps that are now available in my classroom.  My two current favorites are VoiceThread and ShowMe.  If you're not familiar with these, I would highly recommend them!

Blogging is another technology that I want to become more familiar with as I believe it is a valuable tool to help students learn 'outside' the classroom.  Blogging will help students learn about the expansive world that exists far from their reach and sight.  That is why I'm here, to learn about and become familiar with blogging in order to use it next school year.  Let the blogging begin!