November 2019

Greta Hill

Name

Greta Hill

What do you teach?

5th grade Science

Where do you teach?

TES

How long have you been teaching?

This is my 17th year!

How does educational technology play a role in your classroom?

Educational technology plays a big role in my classroom by way of several different platforms for instruction and student engagement. I use Nearpod, a student engagement platform, for my initial instruction because it involves the students in the presentation. The students have access to the same presentation on their chromebooks as I am teaching, but they are given opportunities to explore the web for research, take virtual reality field trips, answer open ended questions and quizzes, using the drawing tool to show what they know (for example; labeling parts of the circulatory system), and they can even collaborate with their classmates on assignments within the presentation.

My students also enjoy Quizlet and Kahoot. Both are gaming platforms that assess curriculum content informally; but in a fun way. I use Kahoot at the end of my classes as a review; the students submit an answer to each question independently. Quizlet is used to not only assess how much the students are learning, but also encourages collaboration and team building, so they also learn to work together to complete tasks.

Seesaw is another platform we use to showcase what students have learned. So far this year, my students have been able to give weather forecasts based on their knowledge of clouds, fronts, and pressure systems. The great thing about this platform is that parents are connected and get to see what their child is working on. Parents are allowed to make comments and "like" their child's work as it is posted.

How do you find technology in the classroom helpful?

There are many reasons why I find technology in the classroom helpful, but most importantly, I was able to provide instruction to each of my classes while I was away on my honeymoon for four days through a program called ScreenCastify. Each of the four days, I provided my students with a Google Slides or Powerpoint presentation of The Human Body (our current objective). My students had "Cloze read" notes that they were to complete while listening to my presentations. So even though I was not present in the classroom during my absence, I was still with them via technology - they could see my face and hear my voice and without the help of ScreenCastify, this would not have been possible!

What is your favorite piece of classroom technology? Why?

My favorite piece of technology is my iPad. I can control Nearpod slides from anywhere in the room because the app allows me to log in as the teacher and click through slides as I walk around to monitor student engagement. My document camera is my second favorite because it allows me to project whatever I need to show the students on the SmartBoard.

What is on your technology wish list for your classroom? Why?

Subscriptions to science platforms

What do you love most about teaching?

There are so many things that I love about teaching that it is hard to name just one, but most importantly, I enjoy seeing my students grow - not only academically, but as an individual as well. I do my best to let my students know how important they are and how much they are loved. Our children are our future and I feel it is imperative as teachers we prepare them for their future as best we can.

Nominated by:

Cheryl Helms - Principal, Tyrrell Elementary School "Mrs. Hill uses the Nearpod platform to assist in her instruction of the 5th grade Science curriculum. This is an instructional tool used almost daily in Mrs. Hills’ lesson and provides the students with a relevant and real world experience for the different Science objectives and standards. While away on her honeymoon, Mrs. Hill planned four days of lessons that were prerecorded by using screencastify. Even in St. Lucia, she was able to teach her curriculum daily through the use of technology. "