First Day of School 2013

Usually, the first day of school is pretty slow for me. Teachers are doing their own things and don't usually need support. But this year was much different. Susan and Leanna invited me in to be a part of their first days. It was a lot of fun getting to help pass out papers, organize supplies, and see the cool things that they prepared for today.

First off, both Susan and Leanna made a short video about playground expectations using the app 30Hands. I gave them this assignment so they could learn the app and model how students would be using it. We plan on using the app with students later this week. It went really well. The students were so engaged. They learned in five minutes what would normally occur in a half hour walking around the playground. Of course, it will be seen how well the information was learned. I left before lunch/recess...


I was also impressed with Susan's surprise use of a word sorting app. She had all the students' names on cards with headings for how they would be getting home. While some students were setting up their desks, other passed her iPad around and moved their name to the correct heading. And she was displaying it using Airserver. Very cool. 

This afternoon, both classes were going to work on their iPad handling and usage expectations contract. They'll have those signed before they start using them tomorrow.

I was a great morning. I think it was a nice blend of using new tools alongside the established routines. Which is exactly how we were hoping to start out. I'll let you know tomorrow how our scavenger hunt goes.