My classroom completed...

Now that I are 2 weeks into the school year, I have settled into my new role as the 7th and 8th grade Writing and Language Arts teacher pretty well.  The kids are great and I love being up in the newer part of the school!  My classroom is gigantic compared to last year (even though I had 2 classrooms last year).  I am getting used to having and using a SmartBoard.  It really makes lessons more exciting for myself and the students.  Below, there are pictures of my classroom all decorated.

Looking from the right back corner behind my desk

looking from the front left corner

My desk with our behavior management chart...all part of PBIS.

New Fun Learning...Teachers Sharing With Teachers Conference

Today instead of teaching , I was learning. I went to a workshop at the Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, about 5 minutes from my house. The campus is beautiful and the classrooms and buildings are as well. I took some amazing workshops: Enchated Fairytale Projects, Just Write!, Jazz and Poetry, and Quick and Easy Video Productions. So I came home today and downloaded PhotoStory 3 for Windows that I was told about during the video production workshop. It's fun, easy, and free! I will definitely be teaching my students how to use this program during their computer class! Hopefully our teach guy will download the program to my computers for me.

I also was told about some other great websites and programs that are fun to use with kids of all ages...www.voki.com (you can choose an animated character and have them speak for you), WindowsMovie Maker, Neighborhood Map Maker, and Stationary Studio. Can't wait to use these programs in my classroom!