“Un-Conference” in 6 Days! ─ Place More Tools in Your Teaching Toolbox

Last year was my first year of teaching and it felt like driving in the direction of California when I really meant to go to New York. I.Was.So.Lost. I had limited knowledge of resources that I could have used to differentiate my classroom, I had to learn how to effectively use Infinite Campus (I’m still in the process of doing this), and I had to manage classes of almost 40 students. Essentially, I had very few tools in my toolbox and I was unprepared to teach the content to the students.  My first year of teaching was a nightmare and I’m glad that I feel more prepared my second year in the profession.
So, what did I do differently this time around? I was more consistent with my rules and regulations in the classroom. I learned that learning in the classroom was going to be nonexistent if I did not have my classroom management perfected. I placed rewards and consequences for students for their behavior and used Dojo points (yes, 9th graders love Dojo points too). I also changed the way I taught my content by using various resources, such as Nearpod and Quizlet. These resources provided a way for students to take ownership of their learning and I continue to search for more useful resources, which is where EdCamp Atlanta comes into play.

I went to EdCamp Atlanta last year for the first time because I knew that I needed to learn about more resources to make learning engaging to the students. Although I had heard of Google Classroom before, I did not actually know what you could do with this resource. The presenter explained in detail how Google Classroom can be useful. For instance, a teacher can determine whether a student has plagiarized on his/her assignment and monitor his/her progress on those assignments. I can’t wait to learn about more resources on May 12th to make my 3rd year of teaching more exciting for me and for the students!

Manisha Maurya
@mmaurya84