Jason E Riddle Introduction: It's Nice to Meet You

My name is Jason E Riddle and I currently teach English 2 at Naperville North High School as a special education teacher. Three of the English classes are co-taught and 2 are instructional. This is my sixth year at Naperville North and I really enjoy what I do; with the exception of all of the documents...IEPs, goal updates and of course grading! I don't dislike this portion of my job, just do not really enjoy it like the other aspects. Fun fact: this is going to be my 20th year of teaching. Guess I'm locked in.

In the classroom, I try to incorporate as much technology as possible without being excessive. There is still a place for old fashion teaching from time to time. One of the issues with technology, and I would say that it is a good issue, is that there is so much to use that it can become overwhelming. It seems as soon as I become comfortable with one tool, another comes along and takes over. The cycle is relentless. Another issue with technology is students becoming responsible and using the technology appropriately in class. At the high school level some of the issues are music sites, google hangouts and students either forgetting their Chromebooks or not having them charged and ready to go. This is our 3rd year as a 1:1 school, so hopefully these issues resolve themselves over time.

Using technology in the class is natural and expected. I feel comfortable with many of Google's classroom products including docs, forms, spreadsheets, read and write, sites and slides as well as tools like Socrative, Newsela, Kahoot, Canvas, Learning Ally and much more! Google products are my favorite as they are simple to use and easy for students to submit assignments via Canvas.

I'm looking forward to learning about incorporating more technology into the classroom in a manner that is natural and not cumbersome to students. I'm looking for new ideas to make learning as fun and on point as possible.

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 5, 2017 at 3:52 PM

    I agree with your comment about too much technology. At the early childhood level we see children having too much screen time, instead of active play. We limit the Ipad use with visual timers because the students get so much screen time at home or when they are on the go using their parents' smart phones.

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  2. Heidi MorganSeptember 22, 2017 at 7:32 PM

    Jason, I am happy to be on this learning journey with you. I know how you feel about too many tools. They can be overwhelming for you and for students. I like tools that allow signing in with Google, tools that allow for collaboration among students and teachers, and tools that I can get formative data from. My favorite go to tools are Google Classroom, Nearpod, EdPuzzle, Quizziz, Kahoot, and Quizlet. I look forward to learning with you!

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  3. KyleJanuary 8, 2018 at 2:50 PM

    Great to see you in class again! Hope the family is doing well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Erika GirardJanuary 8, 2018 at 3:05 PM

    Hi, Jason! Where did you teach before Naperville? I started out my career as a high school English teacher, and I miss it sometimes. I have never used Socrative. I will have to give that a try. And, by the way, I am completely with you on SPED paperwork. Yuck!

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  5. Theresa AllenJanuary 10, 2018 at 6:33 PM

    Jason, I like your reasoning about technology - it should be seamless, fun, and provide a product where it couldn't be done in a more traditional sense. I hope you find some tools (like Vocaroo) that you can use!

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  6. UnknownMarch 6, 2018 at 8:33 AM

    Hi Jason, I also agree with being overwhelmed about technology. Just right now I got side tracked and got directed to a youtube vidoe Aurasma with Chromebooks. I agree with you that there is a time and place for old fashion teaching too. You can't always be in the M & R of the SAMR model!

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  7. UnknownMarch 6, 2018 at 12:08 PM

    Hi Jason,

    Congratulations on 20 years! I also think that a good classroom combines technology and "good old fashion teaching". Teaching fashion design and culinary arts & nutrition, students are not on their Chromebooks on most days... however technology has really enhanced days where students are not in lab (cooking or sewing).

    ReplyDelete

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