Sub Plans and Technology

I'm a bit behind with my posts, but it's only because I fell into a strep throat black hole for a few days.  I know that probably sounds like an exaggeration; Kids get strep throat all the time (and they still come to school)! This was like Super Strep Throat though. Strep Throat's strongest, biggest, meanest self. That being said, it has taken me three days to finally finish writing this blog. 

Thursday night I was talking to my Mom, and (don't judge) whining in full self-pity mode about how I didn't want to write sub plans again. (Why do they always take so long?!) She asked me how I was able to write them from home and get them to the substitute. Valid question. I explained the gloriousness that is Google Docs and how I share my plans with my awesome teammates and they print them for me. Mom's question got me thinking, though. How much does technology shape and affect my sub plans (and my away-from-school experience)? 

There's the obvious things: I requested a sub online using our school's substitute system, only after texting the sub I hope to schedule to confirm her availability. I texted my principal, AP, and secretary to let them know I'd be out. I typed my plans into Google Docs and shared them with my team. I emailed my students' parents to let them know that I wouldn't be there. All of those things require technology, but they seem pretty basic to me. 

Then I started to think about the communication I'm able to have with my students while I'm away. That's the thing about being gone. It's not just the effort it takes to write the plans or the loss of your accumulated sick/personal days. It's not seeing your kids for three days, not knowing how things are going and who had a good/bad day, or who hasn't done any work over the past 72 hours because you haven't been there.

I think I'll share with you some of the ways that I was able to communicate with my students' while I was crying in pain resting at home. 

Morning Message using Google Presentations

I write my students a Morning Message every almost every morning. It usually has a quick message and then a few reminders for the day or maybe something to get them excited about a lesson. Then I end with some sort of positive thought. Friday's message was especially important because by being stuck at home, I was missing one of my students' last day, and I was really bummed about it. 

Instructions for their tasks using Google Presentations

We had already started this the day before I left, so I was able to ask my substitute to pull it up and have the kids pick up where they left off. 

Exit Ticket using Google Spreadsheets...

...and their responses.

I love using a Google Spreadsheet for an exit ticket when I'm gone for lots of reasons. First, all 50-something of my kids' responses are in one place. The easier the better, especially when I'm sick. Plus, looking at them all at once helps me notice trends. For example, the book fair and Mrs. Burks' birthday were both bright spots for many of them. It also gives me some insight into what didn't go right. This is helpful if I'm going to have a substitute the following day. For example, on Thursday, one of the kids' "wish" was that there had been more available technology, which tells me that they must have had a issue with the Macs/iPads. So, when I wrote my plans for Friday, I made sure to leave time for them to take turns in case they were short on technology. Second, I can continuously re-use this Google Form. The timestamp in the first column keeps the days straight for me.  

In general, whether I use a Google Form or a piece of paper, this kind of exit ticket helps me get a feel for how the day went. For example, one of my kids' "wish" was, "I wish I could have been more focused." That's great for me to know. I could easily wait until I returned to school and probably nothing would change, but for me it's comforting to hear from them, especially on a day like Friday when I wouldn't see them again for a week. (By the way, I only left about 5 minutes in my sub plans for the kids to do this. No big loss of instructional time.) 

Pictures texted/tweeted from other teachers & my (awesome) substitute

This is by far my favorite example of the communication I had with my kids... because who doesn't like to feel loved and missed when they're home sick? (Aren't they so cute?) 

I'm lucky that for my entire teaching career, I've always had technology at my disposal. I'm abundantly thankful, and I really couldn't imagine my teaching life (or my sick days) without it.