Meet the Teacher - Steve Ramthun

Hello my name is Steve Ramthun. This is my 3rd year with the School District of Waukesha, and my 23rd year teaching. I currently teach physics and AP physics at Waukesha South HS. My life has been hectic to say the least for the past year. The past year has brought some huge changes to my personal life. Last year we sold our house in Waukesha because we were building a house. Our new house was not completed so we moved in with my sister and brother in-law for 2 months. We then moved in to our new house in the end of June. Finally, my wife Laura, a teacher at New Berlin Eisenhower HS, had a baby girl on August 22nd.


I embraced technology early on in my teaching journey, often before other teachers did. However, my use of technology was mainly as a tool to collect data in the physics classroom. The use was of data collection sensors and probes was limited to a few labs per unit and not an integral classroom tool on a day to day basis. I did notice that when I did use the data collection devices for labs, student engagement increased. As the years passed, I integrated computer simulations for student use. On the teacher side of technology, I was one of the first teachers to regularly use powerpoint presentations in the classroom, yes I am that old. Additionally, I have started to make my own videos for students to use as "answer" videos. Most of the mathematical problems I assign in physics are supplied with answer videos that students can access online by way of BB9. I originally used these videos as a time saving feature to free up class time from doing math problems on the board. Not all students need  help with the mathematics of physics so I found the videos I created as a nice solution to free up class time for other activities and still provide help with the students that needed it. Students find the videos very helpful.

As I start my journey to integrate technology into my daily teaching I will be guided by engagement. The technology must keep the students engaged in the lesson. If the technology does not increase engagement, I will reevaluate its use as a teaching tool. I live through the era in science teaching that pushed hands on learning. I started to realize that not all "hands on' activities were "minds on" activities.

So my journey begins to integrate technology into my daily lesson plans. The struggle will be to choose activities that not only engage the students, but engage them into meaningful learning that scaffolds into high levels of understanding. I will keep you posted on both my triumphs and downfalls on that journey.

Flipping "dictados"

Spanish section of dictation notebook

English section of dictation notebook

If you ask any teacher what is one of his or her biggest challenges, I would bet a large majority would say it's time. It seems as though there is never enough time to accomplish all of the skills we want our students to have before they leave us, never enough time to teach the curriculum that our district wants us to teach and of course never enough time to allow our students to apply the skills we have tried to teach them during their time with us. With this challenge in mind, my teaching partner, Kris Carey and I, came up with a solution to give us more time. In our Dual Language classrooms, we use a strategy to help students develop language called, "dictados" or dictations. My first attempt at giving dictations with fidelity was in 2014 and I will admit it was a huge failure. I was to give 15 dictations in each language (Spanish and English) throughout the school year, so a total of 30. Well, the process took so long and I had to repeat the dictation out loud multiple times in order for all students to have a fair chance at writing down what I was dictating to them that each attempt took over 30 minutes! I did not have that kind of time and so the dictation was always put on the back burner. I would say of the 30 I was suppose to give that year, I probably made the time to give 5 or 6! So, the following year, during our days of planning prior to the start of classes, Kris and I came up with a way to streamline this process. We flipped the dictations and pushed them out to our students through Google Classroom. Each week students received a new video clip from us. We took some time that first week of school to set up the procedures around our expectations regarding these dictations. Each day they would have something to do with the dictation of the week. We alternated languages week after week. They also have a spiral notebook dedicated solely to dictations.

Video clips range from 30 seconds to 1:20

1. Monday: Listen to the video clip and write down what you hear in your "dictation notebook".
2. Tuesday: Receive the typed dictation script and compare it to what you wrote yesterday making corrections where necessary. (Today students also receive the mini-lesson highlighting the teaching points from the language in the video and an explanation of grammar rules and patterns to follow.)
3. Wednesday: Practice your dictation for a second time but this time you will read it to a partner and then they will read it to you. You will both write down what you hear your partner saying to you in your dictation notebook. 
4. Thursday: Correct the partner dictation from yesterday and practice once again using the video in Google Classroom. Make sure to correct this final dictation paying attention to any errors before tomorrow's final dictation, that is graded.
5. Friday: Final graded dictation. Use the video from Google Classroom, and write down the final dictation on a separate piece of lined paper to turn in when completed. 

Bank of videos clips and the dictation scripts 

By the end of that school year we had our bank of 30 videos (15 in English and 15 in Spanish). We had to adjust our procedures here and there. Because this process allows for so much student autonomy we realized quickly that we needed to check in with students, some daily while others just once before the final dictation. At the end of the school year we could also say with conviction that when students followed the process and completed all parts correctly, most times,  their final dictation was at or above grade level expectations. 

First attempt in dictation notebook 

Final dictation 

So, when do students complete this process? During independent work time. It also depends on the student. I have many students that are in groups and/or receiving interventions therefore they are able to bring this work home and complete it there, because they do not have the same amount of independent work time as others. Like they say, practice makes perfect and we have found a way to embed student practice into independent work time, making these lessons accessible to all students, regardless of time. 

AVID Note Taking is Digital Too!

A lot of people get the impression from AVID that it's all about papers and binders.  Well, I'm here to tell you: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE!

My fourth grade dual language students right now are working through a self-paced learning module that I created on Blackboard for math about multiplicative comparison.  At the beginning of the module, they build background knowledge by watching a series of videos.  Some of the videos cover grade level content.  I also include videos from past grade levels for students who may not be quite on level and some videos that contain advanced content for my students who are ready for that content.

In the past, I asked students to take notes on the videos in notebooks without much direction.  This year, I upped my game and created an AVID note taking sheet to help focus students as they watch the videos with both an essential question and look-fors in the videos.  I made the note taking sheet in Google Docs and exported it as a PDF which I distributed to my students on Google Classroom.  They in turn sent this note taking sheet to Notability and put it in their digital math thoughtful log.

As students watch the videos, they complete the note taking sheet in Notability.  Afterwards, they work on several hands-on activities to practice their learning.

Here is where the power of the note taking sheet comes in

Students then meet with their math partner to discuss their notes.  They use the information from both of their notes, and then create a product.  The product is either a 2 minute iMovie explaining the concepts of the unit or a mini anchor chart.

Going back and reviewing the notes is a powerful reminder of what they've learned.  It's also an opportunity to add more depending on what their math partner has written down.  This is our first unit doing this, so we're still working on that part.

Isn't this just Substitution?
Perhaps.  If your students simply watch the videos and then write their notes, then it's just substitution.  My students are starting to augment their notes, though.  I have some students who have the video and notes open on split screen to be writing and watching the videos at the same time.  They are also screenshotting certain parts to remember and use examples and are then annotating the pictures that they are inserting into their note taking sheet.

So 
If you thought that AVID is paper and binder only.  You just got one easy, quick way to make it digital.

SMART TVs.. Worth the hype?

Are these fancy new Smart TVs that are slowly making their appearance in your buildings worth the hype?  I keep going back and forth...

Let's all admit we get stars in our eyes when new shiny technology devices get delivered to our rooms.  I first saw a Smart TV when I was doing work at Lindholm and found one in a room.  To say I was beyond excited to start touching to see and test the bells and whistles was an understatement.  (Starting to understand how students feel...)  I fell in love with the Smart TV's ability to allow two hands touching/writing simultaneously, erase with your fist, access the internet and receive Smart lessons from your Macbook from any location.  Sub plans made easy!  I received more training to use this new device in August and learned some exciting features, such as screen sharing and file saving.  I couldn't wait to start using with students.

DUN DUN DUUUN.... There I was full of confidence and excited to wow my students with features of the Smart TV, when I tragically discovered just how touchy this TV was.  I went to show a video (simple, right?) when suddenly a bunch of screens popped up with the volume full blast.  While it was definitely a kick to my technology ego, I decided to push forward and keep on going.  (Even after a student uttered "Hey! My grandma makes our computer do that, too!" from the carpet) Another setback I discovered was that the Smart TV was just that, a TV.  I was in the mindset of having the ability to edit a Smart document on the spot.  This device is more of a display.  Since we specialize, I now had to send my smart mini lesson twice, so the second group doesn't see the activity from the first group. 

Now that I am almost two months in, I have gotten the hang of the features that I wasn't quite comfortable with.  I now know just how delicately to touch the screen and I know I have to "share" my Smart documents more than once for the different groups I teach rather than editing it.   Overall?  I'd definitely recommend this device.  My mind was made up day I unexpectedly had to have a sub, and was able to send my lessons to my Smart TV from home.  Impressing my Smart TV-less teaching partner and repairing my damaged technology ego!  

Meet the Teacher-Jessica Hegg

I 💗my family. Sofia and Lucas are my beautiful bilingual babies and José is my rock!

My name is Jessica Hegg. I am embarking on my 6th year as a fifth grade dual language teacher at Banting elementary and my 16th year teaching. My journey began as an elementary school teacher in Santiago, Chile. The use of technology in our classrooms at the time was non-existent. After 7 years of teaching like that you get pretty good at cutting and pasting-literally. 😂

Then we moved home to Milwaukee and I began teaching in a different district where I was in charge of my third graders and the very first wave of 1-1 iPads. I had to create a google email account for each student and set up all of their iPads with the 26 emails I had created. Yikes! 

I can say with pride that now my Banting students use technology, in a variety of ways, every day. I have tried technology in many ways over the last 9 years. Some have been successful and others epic fails. I love being a dual language teacher and my hope is that I can grow my practice each year finding ways to incorporate technology to take my student's dual language development to higher levels.

Meet the Teacher - Meredith Sweeney

Hello! My name is Meredith Sweeney and I am starting my ninth year as an 8th grade teacher at Horning Middle School. My background, and current teaching position, are in Literacy, but I have also greatly enjoyed teaching U.S. History in a blended humanities model. 

My experience with technology in the classroom has changed over the years. In my first few years in a regular English Language Arts classroom, technology was only used to project lessons, with the occasional use of the school computer lab to type papers. After experiencing frustration about being unable to reach all students, another teacher and I tried a blended humanities class, in which we combined U.S. History and Literacy curriculums using an online platform to disseminate and collect student work. Researching and practicing blended teaching strategies, learning from colleagues, and exploring at Waukesha One Conferences has opened my eyes to the possibilities that technology provides to differentiate instruction, allow students to shine and practice skills in different ways, as well as allow for more student choice in content and pacing.

The apps and technology tools themselves usually overwhelm me at first. I am not the type of person who enjoys playing with apps. Once I see the possibility of a new tool though and use it enough to feel comfortable, then I can get excited about how to use it in different ways in the classroom. My goal with technology is to empower students to own and share their own voices and learning, without relying on a teacher. I am excited for the opportunity to learn more!

Meet the Teacher- Brianna Beadle

Hello! My name is Brianna Beadle and I am currently teaching 8th grade science at Horning Middle School This school year marks my 3rd and a 1/2 year teaching, all of which has been at Horning. I have taught everything from literacy and world geography to US history, supporting in math and of course science. In the past three years, I have done everything from almost no technology to blended learning and then back somewhere in the middle.

My experience with technology is quite random. I was in school on the cusp of the technological revolution but the most technology we had were typing classes in the computer lab. Needless to say, I am mostly self taught with technology and it has been completely trial and error. I am eager to try out new things in the classroom after I have gotten a chance to play with them on my own.

I am looking forward to giving this next year a little boost by intentionally planning for using technology at a higher level!