Final Project Post!

   My vanity refinishing project is complete!  I think it looks even better than I had hoped it would six weeks ago when I decided to take on furniture refinishing.  I went from having this in my bedroom:

to this:

Huge difference!  It looks so much neater and more sophisticated.  Not to mention, I did it (with a little help from my husband)!  And I learned a lot about learning from free tutorials on the internet, furniture refinishing, power tools, and frame building along the way.

    This project helped me feel like a more competent homeowner.  I am more capable than I thought I was when it comes to remodeling small projects.  Overall, I really liked working with gel stain but YouTube was my friend when I had to troubleshoot.  The first coat must be completely dry before applying a second.  Otherwise, you will end up removing the first coat of stain.  I also learned just how important it is to pay attention to weather conditions when waiting for gel stain to dry and to be patient.  I have painted walls with latex paint and it is somewhat similar, but I felt this stain was a bit more particular to work with.   If I were to try this project again, I might invest in a chemical deglosser like some of the tutorials.  I am not sure if this would have an effect on how well the first coat adheres to the wood or not, but I think it might be worth trying.  I would also buy some paint thinner to make clean up easier.

    Learning how to use the basics on a drill, power sander and miter saw made this project so much easier than using hand tools.  They really are worth learning how to use.  They save time, can produce better results, and boost confidence!  While I hated sanding, the sander was easier than using sandpaper and sanding block alone.  I loved using the drill and saw and am glad I am no longer nervous to use our power tools.  Knowing how to use them opens up so many more projects to me.  (Thanks handy husband for showing me the ropes!)

     Surprisingly I am also glad that framing the mirror gave me some difficulty, even more than figuring out the gel stain.  Much like my students will have to do, it forced me to think outside the box and problem-solve.  I did some research and tried something new.  Better yet, it worked!  While figuring out how to make my cuts with the saw more precise was frustrating,  it was also empowering.  I developed new skills and added a whole variety of items to the list of things I can now do!  Like many, I dislike when I fail, but learning to find a way around the bumps in the road is important.  It makes failure less scary and helps build a growth mindset.  I built the frame and added hanging brackets on the back, then measured and used a level to find out where I needed to place my nails over the mirror.

 

The only thing I plan to do later is to dab some stain over the wood filler in the corners and to stain the inner edge of the frame.  After hanging it over the mirror, I realized the mirror reflected the unfinished wood which looked strange.   This was an awesome learning experience and I am so pleased with the end results of my project!

Final Project Post 6

     The project progress took a hiatus for Thanksgiving break.  There was just too much happening.  I had kids' parties to attend, a 19 lb turkey to roast, and then had to pack up our family of 6 to head to Schaumburg, Illinois for my eldest daughter's dance competition.  Talk about a whirlwind weekend.

He loves helping! 

   I also had to take a break because I hit a couple snags in my plan:

    First, I tried to order a new vanity counter top at Lowe's, but it was ridiculously expensive (roughly $50-$80 / sq. ft/) and I waited too long.  It was going to take 10-15 days to come in.  There was no way my project would be finished by the Thursday following Thanksgiving.

    Second, I didn't cut the baseboard I was using to create a mirror frame exact enough.  I measured twice, but was somehow off by about a 1/2 cm on two sides.  My plan to glue the pieces around the mirror was not going to work.  I didn't realize this until after I glued the mirror up and one side of the planned frame.

I used Gorilla Glue to attach the mirror.

and tried to use it on the frame...

 I quickly removed the piece of wood from the wall.  Then, I panicked a bit, and found a way to "make it work"(thanks for the words Tim Gunn).

     The countertop solution was a happy accident.  My husband happened to get a business card from the owner of a shop that builds countertops.  This owner also just happened to have a piece of solid surface material that was damaged during shipment, so he gave me a great deal on building me a top!  Luck?  Yep, and I will take it!

      The framing solution took a bit more effort on my part.  I didn't want to spend more money on more baseboards.  And I didn't have time to stain and topcoat new boards either.  I realized after researching how other people framed mirrors that I could trim the boards a bit to make the corners match and hang the new frame like a picture OVER the mirror.  I just needed to create an actual frame.  This is a little tricky even when the boards meet up perfectly.  I recut the boards trimming them a half inch shorter than what I was originally going for.

        Then, I used wood glue and staples to create the frame and then let it set overnight.  I still needed to use some paintable wood filler to fill the cracks in two corners.  I will need to dab some stain over that later, but right now I am just concerned with getting the frame made and hung on the wall.

    The rest of the vanity has been reassembled with new knobs and new top.  The top was attached with the Gorilla Glue as well.  It looks great so far, but I want to save the photos of the final product for my final post tomorrow!

Technology assists Teacher Productivity!

    Education technology used to be something that gave me anxiety.  I don't feel that way at all anymore.  While I may not embrace all technology, I now recognize that it is going to assist me in my endeavors to reach my students.  And isn't that the idea behind all tools, especially technological ones?  Yes!  Tools are there to help make work easier.  So, what tools do I think I will bring into my classroom?

   First and foremost, I know I will be utilizing GoogleDocs.  As an ELA teacher, writing is a mainstay of my curriculum, and GoogleDocs provides a more efficient way for my students to submit their writing, for me to provide feedback to them, and allows for collaboration between students.  Does it get any better?  It saves paper.  It saves time.  It allows kids to work together. Win-Win.
  
    Another tool I think I will find useful is Remind.com.  I like that the app provides a direct communication link between teachers and parents.  I can use it to contact one parent in particular, or send out messages to entire groups.  Parents are in the loop about what is happening in the classroom and have a way to contact me if necessary.  This app builds a bridge for open communication without me having to search for individual email addresses or phone numbers, or sending home notes.  Parents feel more comfortable supporting teachers when they know what is happening in the classroom.

    I also love PearDeck.  It is a great forum for communication with students.  It allows for interactive teaching, and it instantly generates data from the student responses to my formative assessment questions.  Being multifunctional is always a plus!  It saves me time and energy by immediately showing me who is struggling with content.  That allows me to more effectively tailor my instruction for struggling students.  

    These are only a few of the tools that I have learned about, but they are ones that I feel comfortable using with minimal exposure.  They have also made me braver about trying new things.  Technology is ever changing, and now I understand how to better use it to suit my needs.

FInal Project Post 5 - PowerPoint!

Is Blended Learning the Bees Knees?

     Is blended learning the new frontier in education?  Lately, I am leaning toward answering that with an affirmative.  Some of my college courses (including the one this blog is for) are considered blended.  Some have even been offered completely online.  And I think it speaks volumes when I say that, though I am not a digital native, I haven't struggled to learn effectively from these courses.  I believe most students today could navigate a blended classroom successfully.  I quite like the freedom that online learning offers me.  I can learn when I have time in my crazy schedule, wherever I may be.  I also like that many of these courses offer online textbooks or online articles and podcasts rather than traditional texts.  They save money and open up learning.  And these benefits also appeal to younger learners, which explains why many high schools and middle schools have incorporated blended learning courses into their curriculum.

     So what is blended learning?  According to Stacy Hawthorne, the technology integration coordinator for Medina City Schools, blended learning is:

• A classroom where students are accountable for their learning and time
• A place where students have to formulate questions then discover and evaluate answers in order to learn
• An atmosphere where collaboration is essential to success
• A setting where learning occurs in any space and any time; and
• An environment where mastery is shown through authentic projects or presentations.

(See her article here.)  I feel like many of these skills are designed for the older learner,  mainly found in secondary grades 9-12.  A great deal of blended learning requires that the student can self-regulate and be responsible for their own learning.  That being said, elementary students should be exposed to a great deal of technology rich curriculum so they are prepared to take blended courses in the future.  In her Building Blended Learning Environments video, Hawthorne states that there are a surprising number of fully online schools across the U.S.  I only wish she had provided statistics proving they contribute to student success.  I have a suspicion that many of these fully online schools are charter schools, many of which do not experience a great deal of success according to standardized tests and graduation rates.  
   
      While I love the idea of online components to classes, blended classes,and even some classes being completely online, I do not support the idea of fully online school for mainstream learners.  I feel there is value in learning to physically interact with peers.  I am a bit intimidated by the idea of developing a blended class, but like that Stacy admits they do not get created and integrated over night.  With the right support from administration and from peers, I feel I could transition from a classroom that incorporates some technological tools to one that is blended in just a short time.  

   

Technology and Assessment

     Assessment is an integral part of education.  It informs educators where their students need them to begin, where their students' understanding breaks down, and if students have mastered the skills they were intended to.  Education is a continuous cycle of teaching and assessment of student comprehension/mastery.   We set goals aligned with standards for our students, teach students the content, use formative assessment to gauge student understanding,  then provide feedback to our students about if they have or have not met the learning goals (including how to meet them).  Assessment should inform our teaching practices and help us differentiate our teaching to help all learners grow as much as possible.  I particularly like this graphic by Rich James depicting the learning cycle.

Step 3 (Gathering Data) is where you assess. 

      Formative assessment can NOT be some sort of high stakes test.  We learn by trying and making mistakes, so formative assessment should only be work a few completion points at best.  Practice should never be punitive.  Some classes do not need a point value and complete the work because they see the value in practice, and I would argue that some of the best teachers work this way.  It is also important to note that some summative assessments turn out to be formative.

       

     So where does technology fit in to assessment?  I would argue it is becoming an essential tool for effective assessment.  New technology, especially technology used in 1:1 classrooms, allows for teachers to be in constant communication with their students.  Students are able to interact with lessons and work at their own pace.  Technology such as newsela.com allows teachers to differentiate reading to help all students increase comprehension.  Teachers can use applications such as Kahoot or Peardeck to ask the whole class to respond to a question, or they can use different apps to ask individuals questions.  The best part, in my opinion, is that teachers can instantly compile who is meeting learning goals and who isn't and provide feedback (both whole class and individual) more efficiently and more often.  This is the ultimate goal of assessment!

Final Project post 4

    Sanding done - check!
    Staining begun - check!
    Mirror removed - check!
    Electrical outlet moved - check!  (Thanks handy husband!)
    New mirror and framing purchased - check!

    My project is coming along.  Progress is happening a bit slower than anticipated, but I have 4 kids....so that is to be expected.  Nonetheless, the worst part is over.  I hate sanding! It is so messy!  Dust was EVERYWHERE!  The OCD part of me almost lost her sanity.  But, then she finished faster by using an electric sander and quickly grabbed a vacuum.  Whew!

 
    The mirror came loose much easier than expected, but was too heavy to lift so my husband did that before moving the outlet.  I like the new spot it resides in.  Must less obtrusive.  I can't wait to hang the mirror on the wall.  But I need to figure out exactly how I want to do that first.

Notice how he deftly rotated said outlet!?  

Also, notice that I did indeed properly prep walls and protect carpet with tape.

    The first coat of stain has been applied.  It certainly isn't pretty yet (very streaky looking), but I am going to trust the YouTube video and web tutorials and believe later coats of stain improve the look.  I created this list of helpful tips on canva.com.