Getting ready for the day: organizing and tools

This is a quick look at what getting ready for a day of teaching looks like. 

But there is a HUGE disclaimer:

There are SO many things that are *not* visible that I have already done to get ready for the day.  These are things that are part of getting a unit ready.  

These include:

• Planning the units 
• Prepping (copying and chopping) the materials for students (see the above link for how this is different than planning)
• The Great Organizational Project- Which includes:
• Youtube playlists of videos and songs by unit, 
• Itunes or spotify playlists of songs
• Electronic file of related resources 
• Hard drive files organized
• Paper file of lesson plans and materials

• Setting up my internet environment with an extension such as Toby or Onetab.  (I actually do this at the beginning of the year.) 

REMEMBER:  This is gradual work.  When I teach unit 18 for the first time, I am going to build a youtube playlist with songs and videos, purchase the recommended song and put it in my iTunes playlist, create an electronic folder on my hard drive, create a notebook in Evernote, and print up all the materials to put in a binder.  This is *all* part of planning for a unit.  I don't do this all at once. It is bit by bit.  

WAIT!  Don't be overwhelmed!  

I have taught most of these lessons before - several times.  I *still* look at the activity and if I need to, grab the printed out lesson plan and carry it around with me as I teach.  Sara Chronister, one of my fellow admins of our SOMOS collab group, created this AMAZING list of links for activities in SOMOS.  This is awesome- but is one more thing on the computer.  For me, I prefer to read it on paper and file it with the unit.  

The other thing that I urge you to consider as you use any curriculum- (aside from our #mindset shift, Connections not curriculum!) is to consider activities as opportunities for input and as such, as bullet points in a list, not I must do these five things today because that is what the lesson plan says and I don't want to be a bad teacher.  

For me, shifting to a bullet point mindset ("this is the order that we are going to do things in, more or less, and they take up as much time as they will take up") makes prepping and planning much easier.  As soon as we finish one thing, we do the next.  Planning becomes about looking at the bullet pointed list (which honestly is in my head at this point, but here is an example I made for a Stepping Into SOMOS training).  

When I step into class: (This is what you will see in the video)

• Check for handouts that I prepped for each unit, organized by unit.
• Lesson plans printed (this isn't in the video, but the printed plans are with the handouts)
• Open computer
• Open Chrome (which opens TOBY) (tab organizer)
• Open Teaching Tabs (using TOBY) 
• Open attendance tabs using TOBY.  
• Open iTunes Música de la clase playlist 
• Open unit folder PLANS on hard drive
• Open any film clips or something that will be projected(because the internet rarely actually works in my room so I download most clips).
• Open campanadas. (This isn't in the video. I forgot to do this that day. It was fine, because it took me less than 5 seconds.)

Here is the video  
(Click if it does not play- for some reason the auto-play function is not working.)


Referenced in the video:
SOMOS 1, Unit 02 
SOMOS 1, Unit 21 (free)
Modified Comida unit 
Toby Chrome extension
Brain Break slides 
Classroom screen

A review of Plickers: low-tech edu-tech

I decided to test-drive “Plickers” in my classroom, if anyone else wants to know about it.

https://www.plickers.com

I decided to try it because it sounded intriguing, and there were no computers available for me to do a Kahoot on.  Why the kids love Kahoot, I do not know.  But they do, so once in a while, I give them what they love.  I like the idea of trying out new things, and the idea of using something both low tech (printed cards) and high tech (phone cameras, apps) was interesting.  I sometimes use comprehension questions about readings as more input, so the multiple choice format works well. 

Overview of Plickers:

Basically, you print out cards, create a class list in the app and assign cards to kids,  create a quiz in an app or online,  project the questions, then use the app and your phone’s camera to “read” the student answers that they display the cards. You can only ask T/F or multiple choice questions with Plickers.  Each card has an A-B-C-D side, and kids respond by rotating the card to answer the question.

Here’s my quick and dirty review: 

(TL:DR-Not worth it) 

• The interface is pretty much horrible- the web and mobile versions are both difficult to use, confusing, and time consuming.  The only easy thing that plickers does is that it was easy to import a class list.
• I printed up the cards, made a quiz in the interface, and tried it.
• The “live view” function barely functioned, it took forever for the camera to “read” the results, and students were sitting around waiting.  This could be because the printer was running out of toner, so the cards are not super dark, but the camera could read the cards, just not quickly.  The interface was so bad that it took me (a lot of) time to load up the next question, which did not help.
• Multiple choice or true/false questions leave something to be desired anyway, although for a quick formative assessment they are useful.  Supposedly, you can actually track answers and create graphs and score reports, but that did not work at all for me.  
• I was really hoping the novelty factor would be worth something.  It was not.
• The kids hated it- especially compared to Kahoot or quizlet live.  

The Great Organizational Project: storing binders, breakouts, and more

I think that organizing your materials is super, super important. My Great Organizational Project that
I undertook after my first year of teaching was the single best thing I did all year. It has saved me so much time and continues to do so.

There are a lot of folks who write about organizing their stuff in the classroom.  Martina Bex and Angela Watson both really helped me figure this out for myself. But remember- before teaching, I was an opera stage manager, and an exceptionally organized one!
Why I organize my stuff:

• I mostly teach with a particular curriculum (SOMOS) 
• I want to spend as little time looking for things or prepping as possible. 
•  I want to be able to grab what I need (e.g. I have a great follow up reading that talks about that thing that came up in class, or I have a song activity that I found on the interwebs that is perfect for tomorrow because this kid sang it today, etc.) quickly.
• I want a place to collect things that I find from the internet.
• I want a place to keep notes about what did and did not work.
• I want a system to collect reflections.  

Things to consider when thinking about your own organizational system:

• As you are planning (if you do such a thing), how do you think about your units/strucutures/whatever? Do you group them in your head? This is important for consistency.
• If you are totally non-targeted, you probably still use movietalks and other digital resources, and you would probably benefit from organizing them.
• How would you like to keep track of ideas that you find on the interwebs? 
• How would you like to keep track of homerun activities and stories? How are you going to collect your reflections?  

FIRST STEPS  
I decide what to call things FIRST.  My units are called Unit1-Dice, Unit 2-Camina o corre, after the unit titles the curriculum designer gave them.  Everywhere that I have materials they are called the same thing.  It is HUGELY important.  




Materials that I use for paper organization:

• small lidded boxes (from IKEA) that are big enough to put file folders in
• binders 
• page protectors
• vertical file folders and file holder
• large zip lock bags
• Paper copies of the basic outline of activities to write and reflect on.  

In a binder:
Each unit is divided by a labelled, tabbed divider with a pocket.  
Each unit has:  

• The basic outline of what I am going to do.  Here is an example.  (Feel free to make a copy and use it).  Note that it has a LOT of space to write notes on.  
• All the handouts that I am going to give to the students for me to have on hand.
• Directions or explanations for games and activities as needed. 
• In a page protector (I like the ones that take 25 sheets at a time), all the master copies: things that I want to copy and pass out.  This may be readings, song activities, assessments, etc.
• A post it note (if I think I need it) to remind me of where I put the manipulatives.  
• I make a (very, very simple) cover and vertical title to go on the vertical binder edge.  I use the exact same name.  I also made an index. Yes, this took time, BUT the payoff is that I truly know where things are supposed to go.  

Binder cover

Index in a page protector at front

In the vertical file folders  

• Input based games that involves manipulatives.
• I make a file folder for each game and call it [Unit name +game name], e.g. "8-Chain reaction".
• I usually make games and put each set in an envelope or small zip-lock with a label, and then put those in the file.  

In lidded boxes: Novel units 
I found that I needed to do something different for novels because I had a lot more going on for novels, and they usually needed more space than a binder.  This is where large zip-lock bags come in.  I also use lidded boxes for my breakouts.  More about that later.

Lidded boxes from IKEA, with labels

• Novel sets if they fit.
• All the manipulatives, by chapter.  Sometimes these are just clipped together by binder clip with a post-it note (but each game set says "Esperanza, cap. 7, timeline" or whatever it is) and sometimes I will keep stuff in a large zip lock.  My naming protocol for novels is [title, chapter, activity name].  
• If there are special props that I don't want in the general prop box, I put them in the lidded box as well.  For instance, I have a three little pigs unit and those costumes are *NOT* in the general use box because I hand made the wolf costume.  
• I still have a binder with paper and plans, kept with all my other binders. 

In lidded boxes: Input based stations
If I am going to take the time to create input based stations, which are hard to prep, I want to make sure they are grab-and-go.  I keep stations in large zip lock bags with all the paperwork.

• Masters for copies that need to be made, in page protectors,
•  Folders with station materials in each.  

In lidded boxes: Breakouts and Breakout supplies
It took me a while to figure out how to store breakout supplies.  This is what I finally came up with.  Note: When I do breakouts, I create enough materials for teams of kids to compete, so I need 4-6 copies of all the materials, plus pens, tracking sheets, etc. for each team.  This is how I decided to organize it:

• Large zip lock with small baggies of team supplies: UV light pen and hint cards
• Large ziplock with envelopes for disposable team supplies: stickers or tickets, tracking sheets, scrap paper
• Strong bag with locks, ring binders with combos for every lock, divided by breakout, and extra keys.  
• Extra large zip locks with game folders, labeled by game.
• Plastic folder with master copies of team tracking sheet, teacher forms, etc., my uv pen
• Page protector with all combos, all lock directions.
• I keep the locks inside the box, with a tag of the CURRENT combination.  

Notebooks in Evernote 

You can read more here about how I deal with electronic files.  If you don't want to do so, here is the TL:DR.

• Dropbox folders: electronic copies of everything  in folders with the same name as I used for the binders, including downloaded videos from youtube.
•  An evernote notebook to keep track of things that I find around the interwebs that might connect, even loosely (the tag function in evernote is amazing), 
• Youtube playlist for video resources- all with the same name. 
• iTunes playlist for "Class songs" by class AND a Master Class songs playlist.  
• I have not taken the time to be super organized about google drive, because if I find something I love there, I just download it (in a perfect world) and save it to my dropbox.  

THINGS THAT DON'T FIT UNDER UNITS HAVE THEIR OWN BINDER and/or DROPBOX FOLDER (OR TAG)

• General games (mafia, circumlocution, etc.)
• Forms that I use all the time (freewrite form, password collector, missing work form, absent student tracking, etc.)
• Beginning of the year: Things that I only use during the first weeks of school, like my syllabus, my cuaderno set up instructions, form for parents, personal inventory, etc.  
• TPRS activities that can be used for any story or text. (these are mostly just electronically stored in my dropbox)
  
  
  

  

  If you use a mac, look up how to use TAGS.  

  
  
  
  
• Frequently displayed: Things that I show often or always have a "frequently displayed" tag in my finder (macbook).  This may be directions for an activity that we do all the time or visuals for a favorite brain break, etc.  (electronic only)
• Signs and labels (electronic only)
• printouts for FVR (electronic only)
• Class lists and info, divided by school year and class (electronic only)
• Business (PD, budget, documentation) (electronic only)
• Rubrics that I use (electronic only)

It is, for me, worth it to spend time organizing, because then I rarely get buried under paper or electronic files.  Not that I don't get totally overwhelmed.  I have an evernote notebook called TO FILE ASAP that has 211 notes it it right now, so I have some work to do.   But, I know that I have a plan for what to do with all that information, and I just need to not be lazy, which is easier with a plan.  

Organizing - reflecting- paperwork: the technology solution (part 1 of 2)

Last year, I decided to put a bunch of time into what I called The Great Organizational Project. My idea was that I needed a systematic way to organize and store my files (well, duh) that was going to help me prep and plan faster.  Since I decided to commit to a specific TPRS curriculum and since I teach it sequentially (that is, I teach it across four different classes, just at a different pace for each), it made sense to archive it in a very thoughtful and useful way.

First: by "unit" I am referring to "target structures and cultural connection pieces."  Don't be misled by the legacy title- I am not talking about the "food unit" or the "travel by airplane unit".

I had to figure out how to store the units not in use and also how to keep track of four separate courses' worth of paperwork. (Made tinier by my habit of copying everything half size on recycled paper, then cutting it down to the precisely best size to fall out of a file folder.)  More on that in another post.

Plus, I realized that I had no good way of capturing all my notes, realizations, reflections, ideas, and extra resources, and that was going to be valuable as I wanted to teach at the same school/same level for more than a year or two.

This last bit was really important because nowhere could I find discussion about how to organize all the stuff that is important for reflection- and for me, that includes all the notes, extra resources, youtube videos, edpuzzles, etc.  Also, as we are told, reflective teachers make better teachers.  And I did *SO MUCH* self reflection in grad school (and found it to be really helpful) that the habit is pretty ingrained in me.

The short version: 

Evernote and Dropbox. (Scroll down for how I actually use them)

The long version, with details: (what I tried, why it failed, how I figured out what does work) 

Organizing resources and reflections:
Here are some of the systems that I have tried (unsuccessfully) to capture all that stuff:

• post-it notes - tried and true, always available, but horrible for capturing URLs or anything more than a few words.
• Adding thoughts to the PDF file on my computer that contains the lesson plans- it worked, sort of.  Except that you have to a have a good pdf player that is easy to annotate.  Which I didn't.
• A lined paper expressly for jotting notes in the front of the paper file.  - actually, if I didn't need to copy resources on the interwebs, this probably would have worked ok for me, but since I do, it did not.
• A word document in the master file in Dropbox (more on that below) that I can update- great for urls, typing quickly on the go, and being in the right place.  But not searchable.
• A document on my iPad in my favorite handwriting/notetaking program that I use all the time-this seemed ideal as I usually have my iPad, use it for planning and notetaking already...  - it turns out that a handwriting program, while ideal for all the ways that I use it (to capture meeting notes and handouts, to capture training ideas, notes, and handouts) is not ideal for managing all the errata that I found myself trying to organize- notes to self, pinterest boards, blog posts, pdfs, videos from youtube, conversations from a listserv or el Face (what it is called in Guatemala, my nemesis and favorite PLN), and more.
• Evernote 

Evernote: Why I love it and how I use it

Finally,  I committed to Evernote for this part.  I love Evernote because...

• Manage is the best verb to describe it.  I use Evernote to manage information, which means I have less to do.
• The search function means that if I use the tag function well (part of the management system), I can call up what I want in a short amount of time, i.e. in front of the class, if I suddenly need to fill an extra few minutes or a tangent leads us to this great video that I saved to do a short Movietalk.  
• Adding content from my iPad or computer, if I find something interesting or have a great idea, is easy.  If I really wanted, I could even use my phone.  Heck, I can import a pdf from my lesson planning app of my daily lesson plans for a selected time period so the next time I teach it, I have a rough pacing guide.
• I can capture everything from the interwebs, easily.  I can also include word docs, pdfs, and photos of the sticky notes I wrote to myself (as long as I remembered to take a picture of them, which is surprisingly easy to remember once you get in the habit of throwing all the stickies away at the end of the day, GTD style) 
• When I sit down to plan a new unit (Unit=Target structures that I focus on + cultural or other connection), I almost never look at the paper copies of the plans- I don't even take them out of Great Organizational Binder until it is time to make the copies.  So having all that stuff on the computer helps.  

How I use Evernote

• I created notebooks in Evernote for each unit that I teach. 
• I made sure to tag each note with the unit name.
• I made a tag for all notes that included reflections on what to do next time or how it actually went. Then I actually used it to tag those notes.  Then I remembered to search for that tag every time I went back to a unit.  (REAMDE is the tag, thank you Neal Stephenson)

DROPBOX

Organizing files (docs and pdfs)
Dropbox continues to be my go-to (go to the bank and throw money at them, but still go-to) system for storing most things on the computer.
If you don't know about it, explore it.  The advantage of it for me is that I can use Dropbox to save every single important document, while using the interface of my beloved MacbookPro, complete with the fantastic tag and organizational layout that is part of the apple UI.  And if something catastrophic happened to my computer (say, while riding to and from school with it on my bike) I would have a timely backup that I could access instantly and teach from immediately.
I decided to make every dropbox master file look the same so that it would be as easy to find stuff digitally as it is to find stuff in my binders.  For me, it looks like folders in each master folder called: Activities, assessments, to project, stories.  Again, for me, making electronic files easy to find is a huge priority.  Searching through word documents by vague title (Spanish, say, or reading activities) is a real drag and never results in finding what you are looking for.

Youtube, google drive, and other outliers
It turns out that if I had started using Evernote when I first started teaching, organizing youtube and google drive would be no biggie.  And as I write this, I realize that I could use Evernote to organize these two very important technology resources, just the same way I use it to organize edpuzzles (cool but labor intensive), kahoots (same), old-school jeopardy-on-the-internet games (extra cool), pinterest pages, vimeo links, soundcloud links, etc.  I will probably see if just copying the relevant google or youtube url into evernote and tagging it well will save time.  Because, you see, that although I have playlists by unit in youtube, they do not alphabetize and that drives me up the wall, and my googledrive is something of a disorganized mess, because really, who has the time to organize that too?

On labeling and titles
As silly as it seems, deciding on titles and investing in good paper labels (for actual print things) really makes a difference in organizing.  The same way that I use consistent tags in Evernote, being consistent about what you call something makes it easier find.  For instance, in quizlet (a somewhat crummy platform, in my opinion, as far as organization but a useful tool to keep parents happy and make kids feel like they are doing something familiar, which can be good for families new to TPRS who want vocabulary instruction [note: my Quizlets are resources for the students, and only once ever in three years have they been used to teach vocabulary, said the TPRS teacher defensively]) having all the unit names be familiar makes it slightly easier to organize resources.  For curriculum collaboration in google drive across states, possibly countries, and certainly grades, it is imperative to use the same names. (And since I do participate in this kind of collaboration, I really value it.)

So, that is how I organize digital resources.

Tools

NPR has been airing a special about specialists' tools, and it got me thinking about the tools that I use to do my job. Having only one hand has led me to value some tools over others. So, here's my list:

Tools for Organizing
iDoceo - iDoceo is an iPad app for teachers. I tried a couple of organizational teacher apps when I first started using my iPad and this one is by far the best. It has many features that I don't use because my school requires that I use their (horrific and unwieldy) grading system and software, but having used the gradebook functions to track classes, I can vouch for its well thought out design.

The features that I do use are the calendar (integrated with my iCal), the gradebook for tracking anecdotal notes and data that isn't worth putting in the computer grade book, and the lesson planning interface.

 I really love the lesson planner. It's just a simple layout (day, week, month) that I use the same way other teachers use their plan book, but fancier. I can take a picture of the white board and attach it to that day's plans. I can use the "bump" feature to move a day's lessons to the next period for that class, or indeed back in time if need be. I can save resources or not, take a picture of that day's seating plan, etc. Each class has a separate plan view, gradebook, notes section, seating chart, and more. Also, all your data backs up easily to most of the major platforms, although it is not an automatic sync.

My only complaint is that the initial set up of the calendar is clunky and not very intuitive. I also haven't found an easy way to input my weekly duties so they show up on the "day" view of the planner, but that seems pretty minor. I can't imagine planning on paper any more.

Dropbox- how did I ever live without Dropbox? Everything goes in my Dropbox these days, and I love that I can have my most used folders on my desktop at my fingertips.

Evernote- I am using Evernote more and more, for organizing web resources, lesson ideas, reflections, to do lists (since writing is still so hard), and just about everything else. For my personal life, I still prefer the interface of AwesomeNote, but being able to go from platform to platform with Evernote is incredibly important for me at school.

Symbaloo- while th iPad app is terrible, the web version of the bookmark organizer is pretty great. It's easy to use, easy to save, and the visual lay out makes it easy to navigate. It's where I save all those great ideas that I want to come back to but aren't necessarily applicable to my lessons. I also like being able to share my "mixes" easily.

Tools for teaching
Every day, there are three things (other than my lesson plan on my iPad) that I need to have within easy reach:

NO LIDS!  (Perfect for the one-handed trying to write with the non-dominant hand)

Retractable white board markers- they come in three colors (blue, black, and red), they don't have caps to manipulate with one hand or put back on the wrong colored marker, and they last for ever. Seriously, for writing in two colors on the board TPRS-style, they help me so much. Best impulse purchase of last year.

Laser pointer- Many TPRS teachers believe that a physical pointer help you clarify and slow down. I don't disagree. But I am short and many of my posters are way beyond my reach. And I try my best to point slooowly.

Remote for the smartboard- I learned that I actually can not teach my class without this silly little device. (Someone borrowed mine...it was a rough morning until they 'fessed up.) It allows me to "freeze" the image I project on the smartboard while I take roll on my computer, find something else to project, or even check my email without displaying it in front of the class.

For the Class
Smartboard + appleTV + speakers - the smartboard is basically a really nice projector. The software is a pain and I can do twice as much with my iPad AND with the appleTV, I am not chained to a certain spot in the room. My iPad can double as a document camera (with some fussing, I admit), and I can run a slideshow while sitting on the floor with the kids. Again, having only one hand to work with, these things become increasingly important.

Whiteboards, inexpensive dry-erase markers, and pieces of old t-shirts-student whiteboards are like instant engagement tools, and I can think of a million ways to use them.

Scrap Paper Bins- I hate using paper.  I hate how much paper we use so I decided to use as much recycled paper as possible.  Our daily starters (para empezar) are almost always done on quarter-sheets of scrap paper I take from the staff copy room.  Since I rarely collect the work, they just go right back into the recycle bin...but now having been used at least twice.

The "Multi-shot" function on the copier + recycled paper- Another way I save paper is by reducing everything that I hand out to half size (if it makes sense) and then printing it on recycled paper.  Most fancy copiers do this very easily, and since almost everything gets glued in our notebooks anyway, it works out fine to have the aper copied on both sides.

So... there are my Most Important Tools, excluding my coffee mug and bicycle, which are so important I didn't even think of them because, well, I'm never without them.  (My wrist injury is the exception to this rule...3 months off the bike and counting.)