With still one week until my students arrive for their first day of classes the anticipation is building for what promises to be a very exciting year! This summer has been a time of continued growth due in a large part to my network on Twitter. My understanding of Standards Based Grading has developed with help from the participants of #sbgchat most particularly +Rik Rowe. Rik is fascinating to talk with and is certainly an expert on giving students quality feedback. His feedback mechanisms that we discussed this summer added inspiration to my feedback strategies that I'm implementing this year.
I'm proud that this year I'm finally integrating Google Apps into my classes. I've been continually impressed and inspired by how +John Calvert uses Apps to foster the collaborative spirit and reduce use of paper and waste in general. Since I'll be in semi pilot mode this year it may not reach it's full potential, but who knows? I've been planning and working up for this so I'm using drive and forms already (not collaboratively) so it should go pretty smoothly. I'm really excited about Google + and the possibility of using that medium for my online extra help sessions and maybe even our blogging space.
The common theme that will run throughout the year (and beyond) comes from +William Chamberlain. His idea of creating memories with your students really struck a cord with me and while I think I hit this sometimes, I could really do a better job of making memorable moments in class- not just for success on assessments, but to increase the enjoyment that students have when they are with me in class. That's really what it's all about anyway.