Earlier this year I did a review on Shelly Fryer's blog. This review that I am writing here is about her blog post "Technology 101 Skills for Teachers." Shelly Fryer is a teacher at one of the only schools in Oklahoma specifically for homeless children. Mrs. Fryer has been a teacher for over 20 years and has been working with iPads on a 1:1 ration since 2013. She thoroughly believes that students deserve a chance at education, and that their voices matter.
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"I am convinced technology tools should be used to enhance and amplify student creativity."- S.F.
Shelly works with Oklahoma A Plus Schools in providing help within their workshops. The focus of A Plus Schools, in Oklahoma as well as other states, is summarized in the National A Plus Schools Essentials. Shelly says that the A Plus Schools are focused on incorporating the arts into and across the curriculum. This program is not just an art enhancement lesson, Quality A Plus' integration involves teaching common vocabulary and skills involving multiple subjects, in activities which blend the content areas in engaging activities.
Within Shelly's blog, while reading her article on "Technology 101 Skills for Teachers," I found it very informative and filled with very useful information. The picture to the right is a screenshot from Shelly's blog that stood out to me. Here, she is describing the terms that teachers should know and use when using iPads within the classroom. As the technology is growing, it is important that teachers are kept up this this information and stay up-to-date with their students to help them succeed.
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Another thing that I liked about her blog was how she incorporated videos and pictures and not just text. This blog was easy to read and simple to follow. I really liked how she designed this. A few videos that stood out to me were the ones that she used from her own students and the projects they made. I found this really useful because as a teacher, it is always helpful to see examples of how something should be done and different goals to get to that point. The video to the left was one from her blog that I really liked and the lesson/assignment that was behind it.
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One last thing that really stood out to me was her use of the discussion board and the many replies she received about this blog. The questions that future, current, and past teachers asked were very intriguing. Many gave advice, told Shelly what they liked about her blog, and asked different questions. What was very interesting to me was the fact that Shelly or her husband, Wes (also a teacher), would reply! Rarely do I see people reply to blog comments, or things in general when their lives are already busy as it is. The photos below are some screenshots I took of my favorite comments that were made along with Shelly or Wes' reply.