Showcase Page | aclassroomfarfaraway

Nicole Lowry's Showcase Page

As an educator that works at an alternative high school I am constantly seeking ways to connect to my students as learners. They have become disengaged in the classroom and from learning in general. I strive to not just be a teacher on the avenue for them to graduate through credit recovery, but rather a facilitator in igniting a passion for learning in them once again. To move beyond simply being a credit recovery program and fall into the same mistakes of that of traditional schooling that hasn't worked for these students, it requires that I as an educator and a learner myself seek avenues to make that happen. Showcsed here is some of the work I have completed that have fueled and inspired the work I do each day.

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Personal Manifesto This document serves a road map to my journey as an educator and learner. It was created to be an ever-changing document and a place for resources that have inspired my journey. It also serves as a window into how I approach working with my students for those who would like to follow along. (Photo Credit: Raphael Love via Flickr)	Wicked Problem Everyday as educators we face issues of choosing best practices for our students. As an educator who also must tackle the issue of students who have disengaged from school and struggle with traditional schooling finding ways to approach their education becomes even more important. This proposal suggests that allowing students to explore their learning through their passions and individualized projects is one approach that begins to meet this need. (Photo Credit: Geralt via Pixabay)	Class Website Creating an online site was yet another option to explore as a means of providing avenues for my students to become re-engaged in school and as a way to obtain credits individually and self paced. (Photo Credit: Public Domain via Pixabay)
Classroom Design In learning about Experience Design and creating a classroom of my own design using the technology of SketchUp I began to imagine how school could be different in spaces that allow for students to experience learning in nontraditional settings, literally. This was an initial foray as I seek to design a Maker Space/Fab Lab for my students in the coming year.	Cooking TPACK I know that in the journey to educate my students in non-traditional ways, it requires that I keep in mind finding the sweet spot of the curriculum, my practice, and technology (TPACK). As a learner myself I find that working with certain technology and being creative (the things I ask my students to do all the time) isn't always an east task and exploring that through a lens such as this video shows keeps that in perspective. (Photo Credit: logoscambodia via openclipart)	Desire to Learn As I ask my students to learn through their passions and interests it comes with the fact that I too have tried my hand at this. I have always held a desire to try my hand at playing guitar and attempted to learn to play solely by online means. The struggles and advantages that came with this is something I can use to connect with my students as they venture into inquiry projects and eventually being makers. (Photo Credit: Rob Allen via Wikicommons)
E-Portfolios I see merit in my students leaving a positive online presence for themselves and being transparent in their learning as I myself have been asked to do. While I see the value in student E-Portfolios, not everyone may realize the potential they have. The chance to plan a presentation at a conference was also the opportunity to hone skills that I have used in writing course and grant proposals in attempting to start up my maker space for students. (Photo Credit: Open Clips via Pixabay)	Maker Spaces In my journey through my MAET program one thing has emerged as the result of the program...my desire to create a Maker Space for the students I work with. Over the next year I am planning and developing a course that will offer to my students the experience to work in the space and earn elective credit, all the while gaining valuable skills they need upon leaving high school. (Photo Credit: Dave Jensen via Wikimedia)